Racing darkness and love
by dreamworldstorymaker
Summary: It's been 3 months since Dimitri left Courts with Rose. He left Rose in a depressed state and a small bundle. Watch as the gang tries to change Moroi history and unlock the code for them all to be safe. Chapter 1,2 and 3 rewritten! R&R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All rights go to the wonderful Richelle Mead. Although the story line was created by me.  
>This story starts just before the end of Spirit Bound, Dimitri has been turned back dhampir. He then left to become Tasha's guard. <em>STUPID DIMITRI!<em>

Chapter One

"Rose can you please just come down and eat dinner with us?" Lissa pleads. Lissa has been trying to drag me down for dinner for over two months now. Before every meal she will knock on my door until I get out of bed and open it for her. She then proceeds to nag at me until I either grudgingly agree to go with her or she lets out a huff before closing the door. I climb back into bed not wanting to see the world today. The courts reminded me of Dimitri. Hell, everything reminded me of Dimitri. He was following me around everywhere I go; of course it wasn't him. No, it was just the memories of him that I have left. Yeah, as soon as he got the chance he left me and left to be Tasha's guard; or her boyfriend, whichever way you look at it.

"Lissa, I'm not even hungry. Don't worry about me, just go down and eat with them. You will probably have more fun without me there anyway." I admit before bringing my duvet over the top of my head and trying to block out the rest of the world.

"I am worried about you though Rose. You haven't eaten in three days, you haven't come out of your room in a week and you aren't being your usually self. Just come down and eat at least, you have to be hungry after three days of not eating." Huh, had it really been that long. I knew that I hadn't eaten yesterday because I just couldn't be bothered to. My body has had a sort of shut down since Dimitri left. I haven't bothered to train or to eat or to even wash. I hadn't seen the point when my body was just a numb shell. I pull my duvet back so that I can get out of bed. I look down to see what I am wearing to find a pair of joggers and one of Dimitri's jumpers. I had worn it once when we were training a couple of weeks before he left and just never remembered to give it back to him. If it wasn't for the fact that it was my only reminder of Dimitri in my life I probably would have destroyed it. I was so angry at him for leaving me. Leaving me for a woman he promised to never leave me for. And then I felt devastated that he left. Devastated that he left me on my own without much reason or warning. My emotions felt like that had been ripped apart and then spent a couple of rounds in a blender. I look around the room that I have been hauled up in since he left me. The room that has seen me at the worst points of my life. I am Rose Hathaway and I might be one mighty bitch who can kick Strigoi arse and put people back in their places but I always know that I have people to fall back on. People who will always be there for me through thick and thin. Dimitri was one of them and he betraying my trust was one of the worst things that could possibly happen to me. He never meant to make me like this. I don't think he ever thought that I _could _be like this but after I had been through as much as I had been with Dimitri I couldn't just bounce back like nothing had happened; especially when I had no chance getting him back.

"It's going to be okay Rose. I will be your own personal bodyguard, making sure no one annoys you" She gently squeezes my hand, making sure that I know she was being truthful.

"Thanks Liss, you truly are the best friend anyone could ever have." I wrap her into a hug ignoring her comment about trying to be my bodyguard.

It's okay Rose, you would have done the exact same thing with me." I nod my head to agree with her "Now let's go down and fill that tummy of yours." She jokes patting my stomach. My tummy grumbles and we both look down at it.

"Now you can't tell me you aren't hungry." Lissa lets out a light laugh and we close the door me just remembering to bring my keys. We both walk down to one of the restaurants in court and I notice it is Adrian's favourite place. _Must be Adrian's turn to pick._ I thought as we looked around to find our friends. We both spot them and start making our way over to them. Lissa sits down next to Christian and I sit down next to her and Mia. Mia and Eddie are holding each other's hands after announcing they were together 3months ago. A happy as I was that they and Lissa and Christian are in love I hate to see it when I'm still not over Dimitri. It is a pure selfish reason and I hate to be like it but I can't stand people showing affection when even when Dimitri loved me we still couldn't show our love for each other. My jealousy for not only there love but being allowed to show it made me in a worse mood than I was already in. It made me a bad person but I didn't really care when I already knew that I was bad. Everyone notices the pair of us walk in apart from Jill and Adrian. They both look angry and Jill is holding up some sort of alcoholic drink. I know straight away what type of argument they are having as I used to have it a lot too, back when I cared about what happened to other people.

"Adrian, this stuff is going to kill you." Jill exclaims, pointing to the drink in her right hand.

"Shush. It helps me keep control." He almost whines, showing how long this argument has gone on for. I know Adrian hates talking about how he deals with spirit. It is harder for him to deal with it as he doesn't have a shadow kissed partner to help him deal with it.

"Sorry Adrian but you are finding another way to deal with spirit at least for tonight." He informs him before standing up and walking over to the bar, talking to one of the barmen obviously telling him to not let Adrian have anymore alcoholic drink.

"Ugh, women." Adrian sighs, before digging inside his jacket pocket and pulling over his clover cigarettes and lighter. I quickly grab the packet before he can tell what I am doing, or the fact that I am even there.

"Can't do that here Ivashkov, sign up there clearly says no smoking." I state before putting them in my pockets.

"Little Dhampir, what are you doing here?" He asks, clearly forgetting about the whole ordeal on how he will be able to deal with spirit. He stands up and walks over giving me a quick hug.

"Lissa forced me to eat." I grumble and they all chuckle at my grouchiness. Jill comes back carrying what I can assume to be orange squash, and a glass of white wine. She passes Lissa the wine and Adrian the orange squash.

"Rose Hathaway being forced to eat? Never, admit it little Daph you just wanted to see my devilish handsome looks." Adrian winks at me and I let out my first laugh since Dimitri left. It feels unnatural. Laughing makes people assume you are happy. I didn't like people asking questions about whether or not I was okay. I was perfectly fine if I ignored the burning pain that Dimitri's departure caused me. The truth was usually when I am upset I pretend that I am fine, I could this time. I was to broken to even pretend that I was okay.

"What would you like to order?" The waitress asks and we all go around telling her what we would like. I blank out of everyone else and I only come back when I feel a nudge on my shoulder signalling me to order.

"Two pizzas, spaghetti and meatballs, garlic breaks. Chips, a bit of tomato soup. Oh, and I would love a double chocolate milkshake." I add with a grin at how delish it all sounds. The group laugh again at my order and the waitress looks alarmed at the amount that I ordered. The only excuse was that I hadn't eaten in three days and being around my friends makes me feel a little bit back to normal.

"Glad to see your appetite is still as big as it used to be, Rosie." Christian comments biting down the smile that, I know, wants to appear on his lips after calling me that dreadful nickname.

"Thanks Sparks, I eat like this just to please you." I grin back at him not wanting to fall into another argument. Christian is like my brother. I know Lissa and him will eventually get married and she is basically my sister, just without the related mothers. I love him more than anyone thinks because as much as he gets under my nerves he treats Lissa the way she should be treated and he is one of the most loyal people I know.

"So, how are you doing?" Jill asks rather nervously. I notice that everyone else is interested in this question and I don't really know how to answer it. I could tell them that I was feeling crappy. That there are no words to describe how it feels to watch the man that you love leave you for another woman. The man that you followed across the world to keep your promise you made, only to leave me without even saying a thank you for saving their life. It completely and utterly sucked to know that one of the hardest things you had to do was going unnoticed. Dimitri was my first love and the way I feel now I know he would be my only love. The way that I have felt the last 2months have been worse than any Strigoi attacks that I have ever have. I never felt this much pain because he was someone I trusted. I expect blows from enemies but from Dimitri it was like a dagger in the heart from behind.

"Okay." I answer quietly, not even trying to make the lie believable. We all knew it was a stupid question. They all knew roughly what I was feeling but by me telling them how I truly felt would almost be me finally asking for help. Something I don't like to do very often. The darkness corresponded with my mood. My emotions and Lissas' spirit was like gasoline and wood. One tiny thing would make it set off and I knew that something was going to happen soon. It was another reason why I wouldn't leave my apartment. If I did lose it then no one would see me at the lowest moment of my life. I knew that when darkness finally ruled my mind it would be hell to whoever was near it. The bleak darkness that I feel could consume many people and make them turn insane.

"Bloody hell I need a drink. Rose your aura is deafening it is all I can see." Adrian moaned, leaning his head against the table. And with those few words the fire was set ablaze. The darkness turned everything into red and I leapt out of my seat, making the chair clatter to the ground. All my mind could focus on was channelling this darkness somewhere. I didn't even care if anyone tried to call me or tried to stop me from leaving; I was too fast. I needed to get away from any human life. I didn't want to make my reputation any worse but the way I was feeling I knew that it was going to be terrible. I had made many mistakes while spirit had been controlling me and I knew the sooner I was left alone the calmer I would be. My feet were moving on their own accord. People saw the storm that my face must have looked like and stepped out of my way without me even having to growl any words out.

I suddenly found myself outside the gym. Obviously this would be the place that I ended up. My home. It was the same equipment where ever I went. The same judgement and the same goal. No one was in the gym. It was seven o'clock and the majority of the guardians would be eating dinner. I let off doing a run on the treadmill. I don't know how fast I went, or for how long. It didn't matter; it wasn't helping so I moved onto the punching bag. The punching bag was spinning out of control. I couldn't help it though, I was engulfed in darkness and nothing would stop it taking effect. I kept on kicking and punching. It was starting to hurt, I knew that, but I couldn't really feel it. The darkness was controlling me and there was nothing I could do to stop it. After what felt like hours, I stopped. The darkness retreated and my body slumped against the wall. My body was exhausted but glad that I found a way to get it out of my system. I was tired, everything within me was tired. Too much had happened for me to still be okay. I pushed up against the wall and found myself on unsteady feet. I took my first couple of steps, shakily, making sure that I was just about steady enough to complete the next step. After many trips I made it out of the gym and onto the stairs. I tried to focus on them but my eye sight became blurry and making the first step I stumbled before crashing down the steps and falling unconscious before I even hit the last step.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _

The constant steady beeping noise was what I awoke to. Stupid alarm. Still with my eyes closed I moved my hand around trying to search for the button to get it to shut the hell up.

"Oh come on, where are you? Stupid bloody machine, just turn off!" I grumble trying to find the alarm. I opened my eyes to turn it off and I found myself in a white room with a female doctor looking at me.

"What?" I ask, giving her my usual Rose bitchiness. I wasn't comfortable being in a hospital bed, with a woman I didn't really know.

"Nothing, you won't be able to turn that off Rosemarie. At the moment that machine is helping me keep track on whether you are okay." She answered, giving me a caring smile before writing down on the clip board in her hand.

"How did I get in here?" I ask looking around the room, trying to remember any details. It was one of the first things a guardian should do if they are in a new environment. Of course that is only when they feel threatened but it can normally help you at any time.

"You were seen fainting outside the gym and you got rushed into see me straight away. A guardian brought you in here if I am correct; he is waiting outside actually. There are multiple cuts on your hands, arms and legs. Also your index finger is broken on your left hand. We have done checks and inside your body is all nice and healthy. I guess the most important news is that your baby is still okay although he will have to be monitored to make sure we are keeping track of him." She informs me and before I can even stop it, my mouth drops open. What baby?

"What the hell are you talking about? I have no baby!" I ask slowly.

"You are pregnant, Guardian Hathaway." She states. "Just over three months..."

"I can't be." I blurted out. "I haven't had sex with anyone but Dimitri, and he's a dhampir like me." My brain had gone numb. The lady frowned but looks at her notes again and nodded.

"I assure you Rosemarie that you are one-hundred percent pregnant." It was impossible… Dimitri was the only one I'd ever had sex with. The only one that I would even have any thought about having sex with. I might have nearly had sex with Adrian and Mass but I only loved Dimitri. I would never be able to just have sex with any guy, no matter what people think of me. They might think I am a blood whore but I only have ever slept with one guy and that was pure love. Or at least it used to be. I remember the last time we had sex. It was three months ago, the last time we talked. It was only a couple of weeks before he left to be Tasha's Guardian.

*FLASHBACK* (italic=sex scene).

Dimitri has finally been released from the cells. The council had finally decided that he was 100% dhampir and deemed him as 'safe'. If it wasn't for the fact that he was being released I would actually be annoyed at them taking so long to decide that. As soon as I found out the news I sprinted to where he would be staying at the courts. I had been waiting forever to have a private conversation without guardians overhearing or Lissa telling me to leave. I knocked on his door impatiently. Not even stopping until he opened the door. When the door finally opened I was met with the face that I felt like I had been waiting ages to see. His hair was loose and was waved down the back of his neck and at the very top of his back. The tan had seemed to have grown lighter after being stuck in the cell but the grin on his face was worth all the torture. The grin grew smaller but I still went over and tried to hug him as tightly as possible. The feel of his hard build seemed to make him in flesh that much more real.

"I'm so happy you're a free man." I whispered kissing his cheek.

"Roza, please." He whispered and a shiver went down my spine at him calling me that name. "Please leave." He asked pointing to the close door.

"No." I answer simply.

"Roza." He growled, clearly not happy with the way this conversation is going.

"No Dimitri. I saved your damn life and I deserve something in return." I stare at him, making sure he knows I'm not going to back down.

"You didn't save me; Princess Lissa did." He states like he actually believes it.

"Bullshit! Yeah, Lissa staked you but she wouldn't have even known how to do that if I hadn't found the information. Lissa did the last thing to complete your transformation but I did everything else. I broke into the jail to get Victor, I went around trying to keep us alive, and I found Robert and managed to make him give us information. I did everything and I don't even get a thank you? If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even be alive. You could have still been a Strigoi or dead." I spat at him, annoyed that he wasn't even thinking about how hard it had been to turn him. The darkness was pulling me closer into his latches. It was getting harder to fight since she rescued Dimitri. I hadn't told anyone this though; we all had enough on our plates without worrying about how the darkness was affecting me.

"Roza come here." He instructed, clearly seeing the first signs of darkness. I ran into the arms not even thinking about what I was doing. I just wanted comfort and Dimitri was the only person who I found that within. If it wasn't for the fact that I was Rose Hathaway I would have cried. I felt like crying and I was close to crying but I just didn't want to do that on Dimitri's first day out of the cells.

"I want it to disappear. I don't want to have the darkness surrounding me all the time. I don't want to know that I might go crazy. I know I will do. It's going to be soon. I can feel the darkness waiting for me and I'm scared. Scared that it is going to take me. I don't want to be taken." I whisper into his chest, him stroking my hair.

"Shhh Roza. You will be fine; you are one of the strongest people I know and if anyone can fight through spirit then it will be you. You are an amazing woman and I will be there for you if you need me." The fact that he believes in me gives my heart a little squeeze.

"Make me forget, Dimitri. I don't want to remember that spirit is too close. I want to forget that I am close to becoming insane. Just made me forget Dimitri. I will never ask anything again; just make me forget, even for just a little while." I please and before he can respond _I stand on my tiptoes and crash my lips onto his. He responds back with just as much intensity and a smile is placed on my lips before Dimitri kisses them again, causing them to counter his movements. His tongue caresses my mouth, seeking permission to fight with mine. Evidently, I let him in without even thinking about it and we were playing tonsil tennis. I was kissing the man I lost after thinking I would never be able to kiss him ever again- and it was a bloody passionate kiss at that. His arms travelled down from my neck towards my thighs and he squeezed them, signalling that I wrap them around his hips. Neither of us even bothers to stop kissing to make this move, we know each other's body's to know what is going to happen. He walks us over to another room and I guess it's the bedroom as my senses are focused on the man that my lips are locked to, and my heart is belonged to. He leans me down on the bed and my hands travel over his muscular chest to his solid back. My hands then go back up to play with his hair as I love playing with the dark locks. My hands then go down to the bottom of his shirt and start pulling upwards over his body. He helps me easily, pulling it over his head before bringing his lips back down to mine, missing the contact that we didn't have for those few seconds. He unbuttons my shirt and we both start to lean forwards so it is easier to take off the top. Dimitri yanks off the top not breaking lip contact once. His kisses travel down my neck, sucking and licking the tender spots that are around my ears. The kisses then move downwards towards my chest before I unfasten my bra giving him full access to my cleavage. His lips cover my right nipple while his left hand plays with the other. A moan escapes my lips and I Dimitri pulls and sucks even harder. He finishes and I pull down his jeans quickly, not even letting a second pass before making contact with his lips. He finishes pulling down his boxers and jeans and I take hold of his manhood. I gently graze my hand over it and his cock becomes harder instantly. _

"_Rose, please." He moans making me take a firm hold of his manhood and moving up and down. I eventually bring my mouth towards it and put my mouth around his shaft. Making my mouth move around his hardness I nip and lick occasionally. I remove my mouth from his cock and Dimitri takes me by surprise imprisoning my mouth in his. I don't complain and react to his kiss. He lays me down on the bed and pulls down my training shorts and panties. While he kisses me his fingers start rubbing my clit and I arch my body into his. One of his fingers dips into my womanhood and I let out a whimper. His finger starts dipping in and out while his thumb continues to rub my clit. _

"_Oh my God Dimitri." I say, pulling his lips towards mine, his manhood resting on my leg. He removes his finger, licking off all the juices and then stares at my face. _

"_Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks, referring to actually having sex. _

"_I have never wanted to do it more in my entire life Dimitri." I answer and his lips meet mine once again. He grabs his manhood and lines it up. He suddenly stops and looks up at me. _

"_This might hurt." Dimitri informs me before slowly letting his manhood into my womanhood. He only lets it go in a little bit before he stops and checks to make sure I am okay, when he sees that I am fine he goes in deeper always checking that I am fine. He finally pulls all the way inside of me and starts thrusting. We both moan and groan into each other and my nails dig into his shoulder blades. His thrusts become harder and faster, both near orgasm. When we both have finished he lays down next to me and I snuggle into him. We both just lay there quietly trying to get our breath back_. Dimitri climbs off of the bed and starts pulling his clothes on.

"Rose, this can't happen again." He tells me, not meeting my gaze.

"Why?" I ask confused at why he was saying this after one of the best moments of my entire life.

"Rose this relationship is never going to work out. There are just too many people who will try stopping us. I don't want to fight the world anymore. I just want to sleigh Strigoi and save a Royal. We would just end up complicating things." His words make me flinch and I move off of the bed trying to make him see sense.

"I love you Dimitri, you love me. We can make this work if we really try. It is only you stopping us from being together." His eyes still don't meet mine.

"I am too tired of making this work. Just leave me alone." Dimitri bites out and I don't even move a muscle.

"I refuse to give up when I know you love me." I answer stubbornly.

"I don't love you Rose. Love fades, mine has." At the last sentence he looks into my eyes and I can see that he is being truthful. That he doesn't love me anymore.

"Oh." I reply, turning around and numbly walking over to put my clothes on. "Bye Dimitri, I won't bother you again." I inform him rather quietly. I drag my feet towards the door and I walk back to my apartment not even knowing what was happening around me. I opened my door and collapses onto my bed, falling into a sleep of nightmares quickly.

*FLASHBACK*

"Oh, my God. It can't happen. This can't be true. I am pregnant." I looked down at my stomach to see a tiny bump forming. It couldn't be though. I would have noticed. I would know that a person was forming inside me. Had I really been drowning in my pain so much that I hadn't noticed a baby growing in me?

"Guardian Hathaway, I need to tell you that you need to be eating a lot more. The baby is at risk if you don't eat enough and so are you. Come back for a check-up in six weeks and I can tell you how the pair of you are improving." The doctor's voice brought me back to the reality of my situation. I was now a single mum, and the baby's dad wasn't there to love me, or the child. "Also, the person who brought you in is waiting outside to hear from you." She informed me and I tell her to bring the person in. Within seconds Eddie is by my bedside and pulling me into a hug.

"Don't ever do that again. You scared the hell out of me Rose! God the way you went down." He whistled. "I thought you were gone." He brings me into another tight hug.

"Choking." I breathe out and he lets go of me chuckling.

"Sorry, so what happened?" Eddie asked me sitting down in the seat next to the bed.

"I haven't eaten for the last three days and the darkness is ruling me. Adrian's words were like a match to a room full of gasoline and paper. I went into overdrive and I needed to get my anger out. I went to the gym and finally managed to get the anger to leave me. Because I hadn't eaten my body, I couldn't handle what was happening and so I fainted." I explain.

"Well then I guess I will be stuffing our face with food, even if you refuse." Eddie smirked at me and I let out a light laugh.

"Yeah, sure. As long as I can eat good food I will be fine." I joked back. Eddie stayed with me for a few more minutes just casually talking. He had to leave, to tell the rest of them how I was. The doctor then came in and started checking all of the different monitors.

"Could you please not tell anyone about the baby?" I ask looking at her.

"Why not? It's a miracle and everyone would love to hear it." She seemed confused by my request and I elaborated.

"I don't really know how to tell everyone about the baby. We are having some difficult times, me and the baby's father, and I don't really want anyone to know until I fully get my head around it. Also, this may sound weird but you have to trust me; I don't have a good feeling about the world knowing, how the baby was made is indeed different to any other baby. I would hate for something to go wrong purely because it is different." I answer truly tired after what has happened over the last three months.

"It is personal confidentiality to not tell the public anyway but I promise that I won't talk about you or the baby. And I guess you want to see me throughout the whole pregnancy?" I nod my head and she smiles. "Thought so. Well then I will make sure that happens. I need to go and see some of my other patients and you need to sleep. I will check you again in the morning and if you are fine then you can leave."

"Thank you for your help." I tell her softly, not even noticing her walking out as my eyes don't open again till morning.

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><p><strong>So this is basically the re-edited version-it is nearly double the length of the first one so I am pretty chuffed with myself. Some of the other chapters might not run smoothly with this but I am also re-writing those to make them better quality. i would also like to say thank you for the people who reviewed i literally love you all and you are the reason that i was inspired to continue to write this story. And also please sign in when writing a review because I would love to reply to some of you but I can't because you don't sign in. <strong>

**Dreamworldstorymaker :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is the edited version. Again twice the amount of words to the one before. **

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><p><span>Chapter Two<span>

I was released from the hospital at 10 o'clock. I was finally able to have a good night sleep after the injections that they put into me yesterday. I was forced to not do guardian duties today which gave me the first lie-in in months. I haven't actually done guardian duties for the last month- I have been walking with her but I haven't been as focused as I should be. I didn't bother telling any of my friends that I had left the hospital, the doctors would tell them if they arrived; instead I went on a walk around the lake. Since having the darkness over take me this has been the first moment that I have been alone, no doctors, or worried friends, or an unconscious sleep where Adrian eventually walked into my dream. The cool air was wonderful on my clammy skin. As often as I spent in the hospital you would think that I was comfortable being in a hospital bed, but I'm not. I hate having the ability to do nothing. Always people watching you, taking tests and checking to make sure you are 'normal'. The worst is when they test you with machines you have never seen before. Hospitals make me clammy; I hate the feel of how everything is so neat and tidily put away. For a place that can deal with so much death you would think they would be more affected but they aren't. It's a job for them and I don't like how comfortable they are with the idea of death.

I had to get away from people. Lying on the hospital bed makes me feel so claustrophobic, you don't get any decision about what happens to you, or who comes and sees you; you just wait there until someone comes through the door. It's weird how I don't particularly like being near people at the moment when only 2years I was basking in the attention. I used to sneak out just to get the parties, the flirting and the banter really used to be the only thing that I liked about being in school. And then Lissa and I packed our bags and we left to try to be on our own. Investigate spirit without teachers breathing down our necks and other children wanting to tease her for being different. We didn't have the option of spending time with other people; we relied on each other to help us through with the experience. I didn't even realise it was possible but we grew close spending time with just the two of us. Sure we had other people around in the houses that we stayed in but they never knew personal details about us and no one knew what we had to go through to survive the time we were away. It was a shame when we got caught by the guardians because we were okay with not having many valuables or a proper home to stay, nope we knew the code if someone was onto us and we both knew what we had to do in order to survive. We both made sacrifices for each other that I probably would never make for anyone else- minus my baby and Dimitri. It was a tough life to live at the time but it was worth it just to be as close to her as I got. I look back on the time now and I think how easy it was back when we were on the run. I didn't think about reputations or how evil Strigoi really are or what will happen with the rest of my life by doing this. We just took every day as it came and hoped that it would be manageable, only moving around every few months. It might not have been the best life, but it was my life and I loved getting to start fresh; just building a new life Lissa and I. I don't regret running away, or getting caught. I wouldn't have met half the people who I am closest too if I neither of the events happened. They were things that shaped me into being the Guardian that I am today. I learnt things that I probably never would have learnt if we hadn't of ran away. I learnt how to deal with a charge when you are in a threatening situation, I learnt how spirit can affect other people, and I also learnt the true meaning of friendship and being shadow kissed. I understand how important people are now; I have lost too many close people in my life. I feel more protective of them than others think I am and I sometimes worry that they are just going to realise who I am and leave me. Although this is a concern of mine I don't for one moment think it will ever happen. We are all a messed up family and we have to get on. I might get annoyed with some of the occasionally but I would jump in front of a bullet- or a Strigoi- if it meant protecting them.

I look down at my tiny bump and a smile comes onto my face. The idea that a little person inside of me just blows my mind. They depend on me and rely on me to support and protect them. I've never had this type of responsibility. Sure I have had to look after Lissa making sure she is fed enough and is always safe but her staying alive isn't solely because I am eating or sleeping enough. The responsibility of the situation unnerves me but is exciting all at the same time. I finally get a part of Dimitri, one that I can keep for my whole life and no one can take them away It worries me that I might not be enough but I know I will try my damn well hardest to be all that it needs. No one will be able to take this little one away from me without all hell braking loose. I am Rose Hathaway and no one will ever touch my kid no matter what! It doesn't even bother me what others will think of me because of the baby. I haven't been in a serious relationship besides Dimitri and not a lot of people know about the feelings that we shared. I know this child will confirm people's suspicions that I am indeed a blood whore but it really doesn't bother me. I know that who the baby's father is and I know that I love the man so much it hurts. I don't even care how people judge me afterwards, as long as they give my baby an equal chance to be great than that is all I care about.

"Don't worry little one, we will be able to get through this. I promise you that on my life." I rub my abdominal and shake my head at the thought that I will be a mother in 6moths time. Half a year. 26weeks. 183days. It wasn't a very long time away. I would need to get the place sorted before I even let a little one into my world. I would ask Lissa if I could accept her request of me moving in with her and Christian. I would have to find a way to tell all of my friends that I am pregnant without the boys planning Dimitri's death or squealing like 5 year olds. My apartment was too small for me and a little baby. It wasn't even an apartment; it was a bedroom/sitting room with a small television, a tiny kitchen that only held the necessaries and a bathroom. I didn't mind what the room looked like as long as I could sleep but now I was accommodating for two I realised how shabby it really was. I would have to ask soon. My stomach grumbled and I ate the orange that I brought out with me. The sour pieces went unnoticed as I thought about the change that the baby was already making on me. I had eaten more in the last 12hours than I had all week. My stomach had filled up hours ago and if it wasn't the baby I probably would have burst. I knew that it was the baby that was hungry, it hasn't really had a proper meal in the last two months so was probably getting all the nutrients and proteins he could get. I could tell that the baby was going to have an appetite just like mine. The thought made me grin as wide as a Cheshire Cat. I, Rose Hathaway, am having a child. I could feel someone walking towards me and I look behind to see who it is. I found Adrian walking towards me with caution and I feel a frown edge onto my face. I didn't like to know that I had caused that by allowing spirit to get to me like that.

"Hey little Dhampir." He calls silently asking if he can sit down next to me.

"Heyya," I reply and he sits down next to me. We don't say anything for a little while. We both just stare at the lake. Neither of us really wanted to be the first one to talk.

"Look Rose, I'm really sorry about what I said yesterday. I didn't mean to say it; I should have understood that with that amount of darkness that you really couldn't cope with anything. It was a stupid move but I was in a foul mood already, Jill had just taken drinks away from me and your aura was so loud that I just didn't think." He apologises and I just wrap my arms around him. He stiffens from surprise but his arms slowly enclose on me too.

"Don't me sorry Adrian, it was completely my fault. I would like to blame it fully on the darkness but I don't think I can. Adrian I think I need to tell you something but you have to swear not to tell anyone." I look into his eyes to make sure he knows I am telling the truth.

"I promise little Daph." He replies and I nod my head, trying to figure out how to tell him I'm carrying Dimitri's child.

"I'm pregnant." I blurt out after a few seconds.

"I know." He replies simply with a little smile on his face.

"How?" I ask, one of my hands automatically placing themselves across my tummy.

"Spirit. I can see this petite little aura around your tummy. I wasn't too sure what it was at first, it was weird because everything around you was black and then you had this white just around your tummy. I was confused and so I went to ask Lissa if she saw it too. Well she did and told me that it's because there was a baby forming inside you. We are the only two that know; neither of us wanted anyone else to know until you were ready to tell them." He explains and I look down at my tummy, wishing I could see auras.

"Of course Lissa knows. I bet it was hard trying to keep her quiet about the baby." I chuckle and he laughs lightly as well.

"Yeah, she was about to tell Christian before I stopped her. Poor boy has been trying to get it out of her and whenever he looks over at me he is glaring." This sends us into another load of giggles at the thought of Christian and his childish ways.

"Hang on, why didn't either of you tell me that I was pregnant." I ask trying not to show how offended I am.

"You were in a bad way when we figured it out. We only found out last month and you have spent the last 5 weeks mainly in bed. You were depressed over Dimitri leaving and then darkness was surrounding you even worse than before. The last thing we wanted to do was tell you about you having a baby inside of you. We didn't know how you would react and I- we could take the risk of you knowing until you were ready. The news might have tipped you over the edge and we might as well have handed your sole over to Spirit." He tried to joke about the situation but we both knew how true his words were. The hurt I felt from them keeping it from me washed away and I latched myself onto him again. My emotions were all over the place and I was glad that I finally had a reason for it, instead of just blaming it on the spirit.

"Thank you then, for protecting me and the baby." I say rather quietly kissing his cheek before leaning on my forearms and looking at the lake. We just sit there quietly, basking in the quietness of the lake. No one really comes round here and I find myself coming here rather a lot over the last couple of months.

"I also need to tell you something rather important." Adrian admits and I look over to see him running a hand through his hair. The action puts me on edge because I know that it is a sign of how nervous he really is.

"Okay, tell me everything and don't leave anything out." I request rather slowly, not sure whether or not I wanted to hear this.

"There isn't really much information but just call it a feeling. The baby is important. I think that is pretty obvious considering it has two dhampir parents and one is an ex-Strigoi and the other is shadow kissed. There is a reason why it is going to be born Rose and I don't know why. You can't tell people who that father of the child is, no matter what they say about you, you can't let them make you tell them. This is more important while you are pregnant but when the child is born people will probably see similarities to Dimitri and eventually put two and two together. I know that it might be hard to put up with what people are saying but it is vitally important that you do so. I will even step in as the dad if you want me to. I guarantee most people wouldn't even believe you if you told them he was the father but we need to be safe and not tell anyone unless we-you trust them." The words spill out of his mouth in a nervous waterfall of information and ideas.

"What?" I ask rather stunned. My brain hasn't moved further than 'I am having a baby'. With all this new information and what will have to happen in the future overloading my brain has almost shut down to new information.

"Don't you think it's strange that you are the only person in our history who is a dhampir and is pregnant by another dhampir?" He asks and I nod my head. "Well this is going to sound crazy but last night a woman entered my dreams. She isn't like me, walking into people's dreams, but she was defiantly a dream walker. I can feel the presence of another spirit user and hers was screaming out at me. She reported that I must protect the baby. That it is of vital importance that this baby is safe and well protected. She warned me that this baby is going to shape our world and if it doesn't survive then our kind are going to face dangers that none will be able to fight. She then proceeded to tell me that no one can know about how special the baby is until the time is right.

"So the plan I have got so far is that we tell our group- the more of us to protect the baby the better. We don't let anyone else know about Dimitri being the father, as I said before if you want me to help with that then I will be happy to help. It also means we can spend less time convincing people that he is the father and more time trying to find the answers that we need to protect the baby and our world. I know that this could tarnish your reputation and that is something you always tried to keep high, but know that I will risk my reputation, status and life just to keep that baby safe. Just please trust me when I tell you that no one can know that Dimitri is the dad." He grasps onto my hand tightly and stares into my eyes, pleading me to agree with his idea for one. I know he was telling the truth, he had a crease between his eyebrows and his mouth was set into a frown, his breath didn't smell of alcohol or cigarettes. I just look into his eyes before finally nodding my head.

"Fine, I won't tell anyone but I'm not going to have people thinking you are the baby's father. It would just feel weird to pretend that I have that kind of feelings for you know. You are like my older brother and it is just creepy to even think about having sex with a brother. Also, Tatiana would kill you if she even thought you got me pregnant." I answer with a chuckle before turning sombre. "It's bizarre, isn't it? Knowing that there is a little person growing inside me. They are growing every day and are going to be my child. I almost feel safe knowing that a piece of Dimitri is growing inside of my tummy. This baby will always remind me that I held Dimitri's heart once, even if I don't anymore. The baby will help you know. Being born will help me." I tell him, almost to clarify that his thoughts are on the same path as mine.

"How so Lil Dhampir?" He asks raising one of his eyebrows. If this was any other time I would have been annoyed that I am the only one who can't seem to raise their eyebrows but a sense of peace was upon me and I didn't want to break it when I so rarely have it.

"I will always have a part of Dimitri now. Wherever he goes, whoever he is with, I will always have something that reminds me of him. A piece that will never be given to another girl after a minute of notice. No my child will be protected by me and will never have to suffer it shouldn't have to. My baby will be mine and I hope it will love me. Even if Dimitri doesn't." I don't even mean for the baby to sound like I am using it purely so I can still hold onto Dimitri because I want the baby for so much more. I never thought I would have a child and that was fine with me, but now that I have the opportunity at my hands it feels amazing to know that I will have a child that I can build memories with. I can give them what I always vowed I would give my child if I ever had any. It is a bonus that it is Dimitri's child but I would be ecstatic whoever's baby it was because the baby is my baby and no matter what happens I will look after it. A smile developed onto my face at the thought of what our child will look like. Dark chocolate hair that had manageable waves. Their eyes would be irresistible to anybody that told them no, they would be like the eyes that I fell for at first glance. The tan that would clearly show that they had parents that were from Eastern Europe. They will be the perfect baby. The child that everyone else will be jealous of. The baby will be my little Dimitri.

"He still loves you." Adrian says so quietly I almost think he hasn't said anything.

"Course he doesn't love me anymore. He wouldn't have left me if he still loved me." I tell him with sadness mixed in with the words. I haven't talked about Dimitri to anyone since we last met. Of course people had asked me how I was feeling and I would lie, they would ask me about what happened between us and I would lie. Lying was how I got out of the questions and I knew people saw through in but I couldn't tell them what really happened because that was something that would have been too hard for me to do. I don't even know why I was telling Adrian about my feelings; if I could talk to anyone it would have been Lissa. I just couldn't get myself to tell them how hurt I really was by the whole thing. This was the first time that I was giving out more information than he left me. It was the only thing I could say at the time. It was the only thing that was on my mind whenever anyone asked me about him. He had left me after promising that he would always be there for me. The words hurt my throat when I tried to express anything more than those 3 words. The feeling were still to raw to talk about. The pain was still too much for me to go numb. I trusted Dimitri with my life. When he told me well done I knew that I really had done an excellent job. Or when he told me I looked beautiful I knew that I looked breathtaking. I used Dimitri to help me understand what my beliefs were and how good I really was. When he left me all of my theories git questioned and I spent many hours wondering whether his feelings were as true as mine was for him.

"He loves you Rose. I don't know what happened with him but the way he looked before he left was probably the worst he ever looked. Dimitri was stupid and left you but that won't ever stop him from loving you." He doesn't sound very happy about admitting it but I realised that it wasn't out of jealousy that Adrian didn't like Dimitri but purely because Dimitri hurt me and it has taken me a long time to get here. "And Rose you are probably going to hate me for saying this but you really should call him and tell him that you are pregnant." He gently advises and I shoot up from my relaxing position and glare at him. I couldn't do that. My heart was healing knowing about the baby but it was still messed up and even thinking about talking to Dimitri made me choke up.

"No. No way. Not going to happen. Hell no. Nada. Nope. Not a shot in hell." I start pacing in front of where I just sat, trying to get the panic away from me. "He wouldn't believe that I was carrying his child anyway. He will think that I am just saying it to get him back in a high school cliché. I doubt he would care anyways; he is already starting a family with Tasha and I don't think he would want me to get involved. He wanted to get away from me and the last thing he would want to know that I am having his child. I bet he would even think it was true. It is near on impossible for us to conceive and that would make him suspicious. I'm not calling him until it is necessary. He won't believe me and I wouldn't want him to think any less of me already." I ramble on until Adrian finally places his hand over my mouth. I knew I wouldn't be spilling this all out if it wasn't for the fact that my emotions were in a constant state of turmoil, stupid hormones.

"Shhh, he will believe you. Cone on Little Dhampir, this is you we are talking about. How many crazy things have you told Dimitri and he has gone along and done it will you? A lot, he trusts you Rose and will believe most of the things you say." Adrian tells me trying to get me to agree with his situation. I was not going to budge easily. The thought of talking to Dmitri left me stranded and I would even know what to say.

"There is a perfectly good reason why he went along with all those ideas. They were excellent ideas that anyone would have been stupid not to agree to with my instincts." I tell him adding a little bit of the usual Rose cockiness. Adrian gave me a pointed look before getting out his phone and started tapping on it. "Adrian." I warn but he just holds up his hand to silence me. After a few more taps he put the phone in my hand and positions in to my ear. I stand there frozen, even my breathing is silent. The phone just keeps on ringing and I almost hope that he won't answer it. After 5 rings I am about to click end call when the Russian voice that I love so much is talking to me.

"Adrian?" Dimitri asks almost alarmed that Adrian would call him.

"No it's not Adrian. It's, erm, Rose." I tell him awkwardly.

"Oh Roza. What was it that you wanted to talk about?" The use of my old nickname lets a shiver down my spine and I can tell that my voice has made him put his guardian mask firmly placed.

"I- uh- I kinda, urm... I wanted to tell you that I, urm..." I trail off because I don't have a clue on what to say and that I realise that I really am not ready to talk to him yet. My confidence has been knocked and I question myself on whether or not he would actually care. Even if he did come back because of the news and decided to be with me it would only be because I am carrying his child. I wouldn't want to do that on either of us. It would hurt me too much and he would eventually turn to hate the baby and me because we didn't give him a choice.

"Rose, what is it?" He demands down the phone and his voice makes me flinch. My eyes make my way to Adrian and I can see that he is just waiting patiently for me to get my words out and say the news too Dimitri. I shake my head at him, trying to communicate that I can't say the words. The phone drops from my hand and I just stare at it, not realising that I should pick it up. My brain had clouded over and my thoughts were coming to me slowly. No one ever taught me how to understand love and heartache but then I can you can never learn it; you just have to deal with it. I pick the phone back up to hear Dimitri talking down the phone louder. "Roza, will you answer me. Why did you call me. I'm going to have to hang up if you are just going to give me half finished sentences all the time. Now tell me why you called because I don't have the time to wait 5minutes until you find the words." His words stabbed me in the heart. I was furious with what he had just said. A year ago he wouldn't have cared how long it took me to tell him as long as I told him he was happy. And now because he has got someone else in his life he just drops me without even caring. Fuck him! I know times have changed, and I am growing to accept that. I am almost thinking about not telling him but I know what it was like not to know my dad and there is not a hells chance that my little baby is going to go through the same things I did. The only way that will happen is if Dimitri refuses to be part of their life.

"I'm pregnant, Dimitri. And you're the father." I snarl at him, almost ready to just hang up on him myself. Dimitri goes silent and his breathing spikes. I wait patiently trying to calm myself down before he talks.

"Sorry, you're what Rose?" He asks slightly panicked, well you and me there Comrade."

"Pregnant." I say simply realising this isn't the time for my usual Rose bitcheness, it would just be another thing that could make him believe I am lying.

"This can't be true Rose. We are both dhampirs'. How is this even possible. How can we even make a baby together if it is impossible.?" I almost want to tell him how people make babies but I know now really isn't the time. I can tell he is getting rather panicked about it all and I regret ever continuing the call after he said hello. Although, I really do know why I kept on the line. I guess it's because I still want to believe that we could have our fairy tale ending. I want to pretend that I will finally have him in my arms and we can forget about the last few months. Starting fresh with our child and living like a normal family. Or as normal as you could get when you are a Dhampir and protect Moroi from Strigoi.

"Join the rest of us on the boat 'how the fuck has that happened'. I am 100% positive that I am pregnant and I would hate to get annoyed at you because you don't believe me. I know I am pregnant and asking me is going to get on my nerves, I understand this is a lot to take in because hell I've had to deal with more but just listen. I guess you already know that this baby is special. We don't really know much apart from that we can't tell anyone that you are the baby's father. I know you probably aren't interested and I wasn't going to call because I didn't want to interrupt your new relationship with Tasha. Adrian told me to call and I well I did just that. I'm sorry to interrupt you but I needed to tell you." I cut myself off trying not to tell everyone how I am feeling. It is really annoying and Dimitri makes me trust him more than anyone even after all that he has done. He doesn't even have to say anything for me to just blurt everything out like word vomit.

"Damn straight I needed to know! Why would you think that I would want to know, Roza? It is my baby as well as I should have a choice whether not I want to be in its life. You don't get to decide that Rose and I would have thought that after not knowing your dad for so long that you would want your child to be able to know theirs." He actually sounds hurt but his words were below the belt, aiming for things that he should know not to get involved in. Well if he wants to play like that then so will I!

"I wasn't the one who ran away from the other one was I? No, I didn't leave you by surprise without even tell them what they did wrong. So before you start tell me what I have done wrong, and the decisions that I have made, you should probably remember that you have put me through shit the last couple of months and you are lucky that I am even talking to you now. All I wanted was an explanation, even just a goodbye. Why could you give me that at least? Didn't I even deserve that." My voice starts as a shout and ends in just a mere whisper, trying to not let the tears fall. I don't cry, I have only cried twice in the last two years and I am not letting me cry again because I am hormonal.

"It would have been too hard to let you go Roza. But I promise that as soon as I get to the Courts that I will be there ready to help and explain whatever you want me to. I am sorry Roza and I would never have left you if I knew you were pregnant. I miss you Roza and I am going to help protect our baby." His voice sounds so fierce and truthful that it makes me nearly believe that he is going to make everything okay. I would have believed that a few months ago. I would have believed that Dimitri was going to be there and that our baby's life was beyond safe because nothing can touch him, but it can Strigoi can and so can evil witches. I might feel a little happier that he would be here, but I wasn't happy that Tasha was coming and I didn't trust him not to run away again. The only reason I was happy was that I would get an extra two pairs of hands to help solve the mystery, or that was what I was leading myself to believe.

"Yeah, well see you soon Dimitri." I tell him making sure that he can hear that I don't hold much faith or trust in him.

"Take care of yourself and the baby and I will see you soon." He sounds like he regrets a decision, whether it is him moving or him agreeing to come back I don't know. All I know is that I am going to have to try and keep my hopes down when it comes to him and him coming back. We say our goodbyes and end the call. I stand still for a moment letting the conversation trickle into my brain before walking over to where Adrian had gone to give me some privacy. I hand him back his phone before slapping his left cheek and the hugging him. He lets out a yelp at the slap and I know it is just over dramatics.

"Hey, what was that for Little Daph?" Adrian asks rubbing his cheek with his hand scowling at me playfully.

"They were both for making me talk to Dimitri. I really did not want to talk to him, I wasn't ready but you made me; hence the slap. But then I realised that I think we could do with his help and I needed a push to do that, so you then get a hug." I answer using the famous Rose logic that my friends love to listen to.

"I'm so glad I'm friends with you little one. You might kill my brain with your aura but you make my life so much happier." He chuckles and I playfully swat his chest.

"So am I Adrian. I don't think I would be able to cope without your drunken ass." I smirk back as he just grins.

"I think we need to go to Lissa's, everyone is probably freaking out that it is 5 o'clock and you still haven't seen them today. I was sort of meant to text them when I found you but I forgot." He admitted kind of sheepishly and I let out another giggle.

"Sure thing." We link arms and head back my house. I look over to Adrian and I'm really happy that I gave him a chance in the ski lodge. I know I was one of the first people to look past all of the rumours and get to know him. He's nothing like what the rumours say about him. He might smoke and drink a lot but I know he does it so he doesn't get swamped into darkness. Darkness is the easiest choice to make out of the two but he still keeps fighting. I love having him as a part of my life and I love him as well. I know he doesn't feel the same love towards me as he used to because it's grown into a brother/sister love. "I love you Adrian." I tell him just making sure he knows.

"I know. I love me too." He jokes and I slap his chest again.

"You're meant to say 'I love you too'." I tell him playfully.

"I love you too, my little dhampir." He tells me seriously and I know that he means it. We might joke but we don't say those words unless we mean it. We walk the rest of the way in silence. Just strolling along. People start giving us strange looks because a royal Moroi and a dhampir aren't supposed to be this friendly towards each other. Adrian tugs me closer to me and I know he is doing this to prove a point and to keep the baby safe from people knowing its Dimitri. No one would come to that conclusion but I know that Adrian is taking the dream seriously and I just want to keep the baby safe and Adrian happy.

OoO

We reach Lissa's apartment and the door is unlocked. Before I can even get my bearings in the room Lissa latches herself onto me.

"You scared me to death Rose. We got you a phone just so I would have to worry and do you use it? No, why can't you just tell me that you are safe and that I won't see you for a little while. I don't know what could have happened to you in those 8hours since you left the hospital." She squeezes me tight and if it wasn't for the fact that I was the one getting told off I would have laughed that Lissa actually reprimanded someone. "And you," She whirls to Adrian. "'I promise I will call if I see her'. I didn't get a call of a text. Nothing. Couldn't you both have just done what you were told and gone to bed or just called when you found Rose. Arggg!" She lifts up her hands in frustration and storms over to sit next to Christian.

"Liss, I'm fine. I just needed space to process things and I forgot about others worrying." I walk into the lounge and find everyone already there; Eddie, Mia, Christian and Jill. They all look over at me, scrutinising my body to make sure that it looks okay physically. After everything that I have learnt since finding out about the baby I have almost forgotten that I actually did some damage to myself. All my cuts had pretty much scabbed over and you couldn't see the majority of them because of my clothes, the doctor didn't give me a finger brace because it was an awkward finger to put a brace on. I looked pretty similar to before the accident. If I was them though I wouldn't even worry about how I look on the outside, with a shadow kissed person you need to worry about the mental side-effects.

"I think you all need to sit down. I have some surprising news that I think you will all want to know." I told them all, using my usual Rose bravado. I wasn't feeling brave or strong telling my friends that I was pregnant. I knew they would accept the baby but I didn't want them to feel disappointed with me and I didn't want to tell them how Dimitri was coming back or that I needed them to protect my baby. I felt like I was asking too much and I was meant to be protecting them, not the other way around. I didn't care what people say about me, as long as they didn't affect my life I was fine with them thinking whatever they wanted to. It was only my friends and family that could make me feel ashamed of my actions. They were the only group I ever felt nervous telling something to. I wouldn't know what I would do if they left me and I didn't even want to think about them actually doing what I dreaded most. Mostly everyone is already in a seat so I really just sit down on the sofa, Adrian flanking me on my left. I knew Lissa would have been on my other side if she knew what I was about to say, she was amazing when it came to situations like this; always the rational one. My friends are shooting each other looks when they don't think I am looking. All of the wondering what I was about to admit to them and why it was so bad. It wasn't at all bad; in fact it is the best news that I have ever been given I just really don't know how I will be able to deal with the whole pregnancy thing.

"Come on Rosie posie, tell us." Christian says trying to get a rise out of me.

"Shhh," Lissa scolds slapping his arm. He rubs at it, looking over at her as if he was wondering why she would hit him. I smiled inwardly at some of the traits that Lissa seems to pick up from me.

"Shut it Sparks unless you want to be sleeping in your kennel." I threaten half-heartedly but flashing him a grin to show that the promise it there. His words brought me out of my nerves and I was able to tell them what I was too nervous to say a few moments ago.

"Okay, so urm this is going to surprise you but I am being totally honest so don't laugh." I warn before swallowing and thinking about how to tell them. "So I wasn't aware until yesterday when I went to the hospital but I am pregnant. And Dimitri's the father." I chuckle nervously waiting for their response. They don't say anything, just stare. Their eyes bore into me, checking every facial feature that might give away that this is a lie. The way that their eyes intently look unnerves me and my hand slowly makes it way down to my tummy, trying to shield it away from any danger that could come. I know there wouldn't be but my training automatically makes me precautions and with this being my baby, my responsibility, I feel the need to protect it even more. The movement of my hand makes there gazes turn to my stomach instead. This makes me feel even more nervous because they are actually looking at my tummy. I let out a protective growl that shocks even me and the entire groups heads whip up to mine. Everyone thinks about the news that I have just told me and Eddie and Christian suddenly jump up from their seats.

"Oh wait till I see Dimitri next. He is going to pay what he did to you." Christian paces and I let out a chuckle at his words.

"What a fucking bastard. He gets you pregnant and then fucking leaves you. What a dickhead! What an absolute prick. I think I will help you Christian; there is no way that he is getting away with doing this to you Rose. No wonder you were so upset, he made you have sex with him and then leaves." Eddie says menacingly. Him and Christian carry on shouting about Dimitri's' death. Lissa, Mia and Jill are either crying or shrieking about how the baby is going to look so cute. I couldn't cope with the level of noise. I had just gone to the lake to get peace and when I get back here they are all making obscenely loud noise. I couldn't cope; I don't know whether it was the hormones from being pregnant or the darkness seeping in or just general tiredness but I was starting to get annoyed at the level of noise there was in the room.

"Shut the fuck up!" I scream and everyone silences immediately. I take a few calming breaths before continuing. "I understand you might be annoyed at the situation but it does not call for you to be threatening Dimitri. My problems with Dimitri's are my own and I don't need you defending me. I love that you care enough but that is not the most important thing in this situation, so if you hurt my baby's daddy then you will pay for hell." I warn. "Now you all need to listen very closely to what is about to be said. Adrian knows more about this than I do, so please Adrian do your thing." I bring my legs up, covering my tummy and wresting my chin on top of them. Pregnancy was staring to tire me out and I had only just known yesterday.

"So you all know that Rose is pregnant." He starts awkwardly.

"Yes, well thank you Captain Obvious." Christian grumbles and I just shoot him a look before telling Adrian to continue.

"Well this baby is special. Not only because it has Rose as a mother, or that it has two Dhampir parents but just because it is. If this baby is kept well protected and able to do its job then our world will change for the better. I don't know how but that is what I know. There will be people out there trying to stop this change and we have got to override them. We need to protect this child the best that we can. That means that no one is allowed to know that Dimitri is the father apart from us. Anyone who isn't trusted finds out and this change is down the plug hole. So, as much as I hate to say this because I am pissed off with him as well; we need to protect Dimitri. Dimitri is an important part in the discovery and this is his child as well. I know that I really haven't given you guys that much information but I honestly don't have anything else to tell you, as soon as I know more you lot will be the first to find out but at the moment this is all I can give you." He looks around everyone trying to show how apologetic he is with the whole situation. No one says anything afterwards, Adrian and I have already thought about it and the rest of the group are still trying to come to grips with the information that has been given to them. I look around at the faces of my friends; they all are in deep concentration trying to think of anything that will help our situation. I know I couldn't be luckier; I have the best friends ever and I wouldn't trade anything for them. I didn't even have to ask for their help they just willingly give it to me without a second thought. We would all do it for each other though; help them when one of us was in need. We were a family.

"So, what do we do now?" Mia asks after what feels like a lifetime of silence. Everyone looks over to Adrian and I. I can tell that he doesn't know what to do. He's never had to be responsible for a situation this important. He doesn't want to be the leader which is what he is considering he knows the most information. I feel happy though that people are finally listening to what he is saying. People finally care what he is saying at are taking notice that he isn't just some drunk Moroi. He doesn't know what to tell them. I look around the room before letting out a sigh and speaking up.

"We do what we always do. Stick together and take every obstacle as it comes. It's worked before and we still come out fighting so why not now?" I tell them, before resting my head on Adrian's shoulder and closing my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So thank you for reading this chapter- it was a mightily long chapter if I do say so myself! I haven't checked for spelling/grammar mistakes so I am sure there are some and so I apologise. Please review because I LOVE them! and also I was wondering if anyone would beta this as I would like a beta who can maybe give me some ideas if I ever get stuck but also help with just general mistakes as well. If you are interested please pm me and I will get back to you. **

**Thanks for reading,**

**Dreamworldstorymaker :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

I had finally finished putting all my stuff into one of Lissa's spare bedrooms. She accepted my request of moving in with her before I could even finish my sentence. I was happy that I was living closer to her, Adrian and Christian. I was planning on moving in with her but then all the drama with Dimitri just made me decide to stay in my old apartment and fester in there. I thought it was the best decision at the time; why would anyone want to live with me? I guess when Dimitri left me for Tasha I started to get abandonment issues. I never told anyone though, how were you meant to tell them that the reason you are pushing away more than normal is because you are scared that they will run away from you. You couldn't. I let my thoughts and feeling tumble in myself, never letting them out unless I thumped a pillow. I knew more than anyone that darkness was surrounding me. I didn't care though a few days ago. Darkness could have swallowed me up whole and I wouldn't have bat an eyelid. I had given up; my world was crumbling and I couldn't think of a reason to keep on trying. It disappoints me now that I was like that when I had a child growing inside me. I should have felt the happiness of being pregnant through the darkness. I didn't and I let myself down not taking enough notice; it was my fucking job to notice and I couldn't even realise something was different with my body. I haven't let anyone known how I am feeling over the last two days. I don't trust myself to utter the right words. I was excited for finally having a little baby; excited to feel the tiny defenceless body rocking back and forth in my arms. I was nervous as well; nervous that I might not be enough for the baby to be happy and well. I couldn't deal with the thought that I might not be good enough for them. I couldn't bare for them to leave me as well. I was also nervous at what the future was going to make them face. I was a mess of emotions but I didn't want to fly off the handles again. I didn't want to risk losing my child because I have anger issues. There was no way in hell that I was going to give up without fighting.

Five daisies lay scattered around me. I was doing the famous childhood game of 'he loves me, he loves me not', apart from instead the words were 'I should have called, I shouldn't have called'. Since calling Dimitri my mind as been on repeat with three different topics; the phone call, my pregnancy and the confusing words from Adrian. They were the only three important things in my life and truthfully none of them would get out of my head. The majority of my time had been spent analysing the conversation that we had. I don't regret having the conversation with him. I am relieved to have him there so I don't feel like I am the only one that is completely responsible for everyone's lives to be at risk. Honestly if I thought I could do this by myself and not let anyone else get hurt I would. I don't want people having to be danger all because of a thing I did. He created the baby with me and I trust him to be organised and know what to do in most situations. I might be hurt to the core at his actions and I might never trust him with my life but I know that if he believes me that this is his baby he won't let any harm come their way. The only problem I had was Tasha. She never said anything when we were together but I know she knew about the feelings that Dimitri and me shared. She loves him and that makes me jealous I will never do anything with that emotions because he left me to be with her. Even if I was surprised I was gutted that Tasha was coming to court with Dimitri. I don't trust her. She is a sly woman who knows how to get what she wants; after all, she got Dimitri. She would be a great ally to have but I don't trust her. I'm almost reluctant to tell her that I am pregnant but I am sure Dimitri has already told her that is why we are returning. I knew I would have to suck it up though. She was Dimitri's charge which meant that she was around him, she was Christian's only family which meant that he was as protective of her as she was of him and everyone else liked her. I was the only one that didn't trust her and I felt bad about not trusting her. I would say that I don't trust her purely because there is a quality about her that screams 'don't trust me' but there isn't. I have to unfortunately come to terms with the fact that some of my hesitations towards her are because of history and jealousy.

The group were all situated around Christian's lounge waiting for Tasha and Dimitri to get here. Tasha and Dimitri were going to be staying at Christian's which basically meant they were going to have the apartment all to their selves. Christian spends the majority of his day around Lissa and out of the two of them she got the best accommodation. Her house had three bedrooms, one bathroom, and an ensuite to the master bedroom, lounge, kitchen, study room, basement and a game room. Christian and her had taken the master bedroom and slept with each other since moving in. I took one of the other bedrooms and the other was going to be made into a baby room. Luckily the two bedrooms were opposite each other and so I didn't have far to get to the baby's room. Lissa had freaked when she realised that the baby would need its own room eventually. She practically begged me to let her design it and I felt relieved that she offered. I didn't care for much of that stuff, just as long as they were happy then so was I. We found Lissa and my house the main spot that we would all meet up. There was a range of different things you could do. The games room was still being worked on by the boys and so they spent the majority of the time playing their games in the lounge. We had the lounge for general chat and then the kitchen if we were eating in. The basement was mainly for Eddie and I. Lissa had created it as a surprise and she managed to make it into a homemade gym that had the majority of our equipment. I hadn't spent a lot of time in the room as I had mainly been sulking in my own apartment. Eddie had told me many times that it was a really good place to exercise as you didn't get any distractions. I would probably sneak down there when there is a time in the pregnancy when everyone will tell me to stop training. I couldn't stop training; it lets out so much of my emotions that I would be even worse than normal. I would just go down purely so that my emotions can stay in check.

The group were sitting on Christian's sofas. All waiting silently for the pair to arrive. They should be here soon, there plane was supposed to have landed 5 minutes ago and so I doubt there will be much time until they are here. The atmosphere was mixed. There was excitement at seeing the two again and then there was nerves, although all of them were coming from me, and then you had the quiet anger that was sitting inside the boys chests at what Dimitri did to me. My tummy grumbles signifying that I was hungry, again. I left the room, no one looking to see where I was off to. They all pretty much knew that whenever I went to go somewhere it was usually the kitchen. No one would say anything about how much I ate, I don't know whether it was because they put it down to being pregnant of were just happy I was eating; either way I pretty much ate whenever I wanted too. My baby wanted Cheetos and that was what they were going to get. I haven't had any problems with what the baby wanted to eat, it liked the same things I did and that made me happy. I started munching on my cheesy snacks, savouring every delicious mouthful.

I heard the doorbell and I froze. I knew who was at the door and as much as I was getting my head around the situation that they were going to be here I don't think my brain every really possessed the thought that I would have to see them every day. FUCK! I listened and waited for someone else to open the door up. I listened hard, trying to detect any sound of movement but no sound was being made from the longue. I tiptoed to the door between the lounge and kitchen to see that they were all just sat frozen looking towards the hallway, none making any effort to move. I grabbed an extra bag of Cheetos before making my way to my ex-lover and his new lover. Awkward! I walked into the room and all eyes turned on first sight of movement.

"I'm going to get the door seeing as none of you have the balls to do it." I tell them with a smirk, trying to cover up how nervous I am about having Dimitri and Tasha around. I stood in the hallway, willing myself to just open the door like it was no problem. I pat my stomach for comfort before opening the door to let them in. They both just stood there, neither of them really expecting me to answer the door. Well believe me if I had a choice I wouldn't have done. I would be better off never seeing either of them again but some sense of twisted fate as made them come back to me. The love of my life was standing in front of me. His brown hair had grown a tiny bit; the rich dark chocolate tresses now reached just part his shoulders. The European tan had darkened due to Tasha living in human days. He looked the best I have ever seen him. No stress lines had appeared, or dark circles under his eyes, or a bump in his tummy; he looked perfect, unlike me. You could tell out of the two of us that I had been most affected by the change that came three months ago. I hated myself for being weak but I couldn't help it when just locking gazes with him sent me into a puddle on the ground. I couldn't think about those thoughts anymore, he had a Tasha and I was not going to ruin his relationship and be the jealous ex- or at least I wouldn't say how cute he is _out loud._

"Rose!" Tasha exclaims throwing her hands around me. My body instantly tensed up before finally relaxing when I realised she was trying to be nice to me. I pat her back awkwardly because I didn't want to hug her but it would have been rude to just stand there rigidly. Her arms go back to her sides and she falls to her knees, her face in line with my tummy. Tasha's hand is just about to touch my stomach and my arms automatically reach for her collar and yank her up harder than necessary. She lets out a surprised yelp and Dimitri stepped towards us, making it known that he was there ready to protect his charge. And girlfriend. I mentally barf at the thought of them together.

"If you want to look at my stomach you really need to do that inside; trying to keep the baby low profile and you rubbing my stomach won't help." I tell her sounding nicer than I wanted to in my head.

"Of course, I never thought about that." Tasha apologises before making her way inside the apartment to greet Christian and the others. I look around outside to see if there was anyone there who was listening to our conversation and luckily there wasn't. My gaze then landed on Dimitri and I realised that this was the first time we have been alone since the night that the baby was formed. We both just stare at each other, not saying anything but just looking. I then start to get uncomfortable under his scrutiny and I start shuffling on my feet.

"So, you coming in or what Comrade?" I ask with a smirk my nervousness not making even a slight appearance. He looks at me for a few more seconds before shaking his head and walking past me through the hallway. He grumbles about some things never changing but I ignore him, hopping that this will be the last comment he makes. I sit down in the seat I had occupied before getting hungry. I was sharing the small sofa with Adrian, him clearing sitting near me just so I felt like I had some support. Christian, Lissa, Mia and Jill all sat on one sofa while Eddie took the last sofa and Tasha took the single seat. Dimitri was leaning up against the wall still doing his guardian duties. I get settles into my seat and open my second bag of Cheetos.

"How was your flight?" I ask between bites.

"It was great actually. I love flying when there is barely any sun; it is so much more peaceful. Also because the night is usually when we sleep it is so much easier to fall asleep and make the time pass quicker. Although when I come back to the court I realise how nice it is to be back on vampire schedule. It is so weird to be back though; I have got so used to it just being Dimitri and I that I forget that other people are in the secret of knowing that we are vampires." Tasha replies chuckling at the end. I knew why she said what she said about Dimitri, she was trying to get me jealous. I wasn't going to admit it but it was working and I was testing my patience by not responding to her. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction that she annoyed me.

"Dimka, relax. You do not need to protect me while we are in this house. Sit down next to Eddie." Dimitri walks over to the seat and Tasha flashes me a grin at the sight of Dimitri doing what he was told. A low growl comes out of my throat and Adrian rubs my shoulders to try and comfort me.

"I wouldn't try and sit next to me after what you did to Rose." Eddie threatens and Dimitri looks over to me in shock. I hide my smile at how happy I am that Eddie said that. I know I love my friends but I never realised that they would do anything for me, just like what I would do for them.

"Eddie just let him sit down. He's here so get over it!" I stare at Eddie willing him to just let Dimitri sit down there.

"No way Rose! The guy slept with you, broke your heart and then left to go be with another woman. That is not okay in my books but the fact that he did that to you makes it even worse. And the fact that he thinks he can just come and back and everything will be okay. Well it won't and I am not going to let him get away with what he did to you." Eddie tells me so forcefully that I almost felt scared for Dimitri. Sometimes I really do wonder if having such good friends is really a good idea.

"Stand down." I command tightly staring at him, showing him I won't back down. He finally broke contact giving a stiff nod before moving over to let Dimitri have more room. "Sit." I command to Dimitri and smirk when he does just that. I have all of the boys in line.

"Wow, I don't even think Alto had the guardians as controlled as you do Rosie." Christian comments. I have all the boys in line; except fire boy.

"So how far along are you?" Tasha asks, directing to conversation away from awkwardness.

"Roughly three months." I smile at the thought of my little girl and my hand absently rubs my stomach. It continues to surprise me how much being pregnant comforts me.

"Can we talk in private, Rosa?" Dimitri asks and everyone looks back over to me. I used to love all this attention but now it really is a pain in the butt.

"You can say what you want to here. We are all fighting for and against the same thing and so there is no point in keeping secrets." I tell him like it was the actual reason. The only reason I want him to say it in front of everyone is because I think he will be calmer and not be so harsh if we have an audience. Pregnancy has really made me lazy and boring. If I had the chance to argue with someone a few months ago I would be there raring to go. I loved the acceleration of the fight but now I felt it was a waste of energy.

"If you're sure. How is the baby mine" He asks, like the answer will be any different from three days ago.

"Same answer as last time. We don't know." I answer. Lissa got up from her seat and walked over to the kitchen. I guess it was time for lunch. For meals I ended up getting my friends to make me things; I don't give myself healthy food and I can never be bothered to cook something that is decent. It works out okay though because they all know what my favourites are and just give them to me.

"So do you know for sure that the baby is mine?" Dimitri asks reluctantly. My eyes snap up to meet his with anger and betrayal flashing through them. I can understand why other people would say that because they don't know me. They instantly judged me when they heard the rumour about Jesse or when I had to give Lissa blood or when Adrian, the ladies man of our age group, decided to take a fancy to me. I never expected Dimitri to be one of the people who would have been against me. People change I guess; just like their love.

"I don't know what you are trying to suggest Dimitri but I am not a slut. I don't just sleep around with whoever will have me and you should know that. I have only slept with one person and that is you. And to be honest the way that you are treating me I wish I never did sleep with you because you are such an arse!" I screech at him, trying to keep the tears from leaking over; stupid hormones getting in the way.

"I didn't mean it like that Roza and you should know that. I just can't get my head around the fact that you are pregnant with my baby; admit it Rose it is a little bit farfetched. No other dhampir couple have ever had this happen to them, so why should it happen to us?" He asks trying to calm me down. It doesn't work; the anger is still pulsing through every nerve.

"Well I am sorry that this is such a mystery and inconvenient for you. You can leave if you want to Dimitri, no one is stopping you. I didn't even want you here but I thought that you might want to know about the baby and then with what Adrian said about needing help and all. But I realised we don't need you. We don't need your help and constant questioning. I can handle the baby by myself and I don't need your help so just leave if this is going to be too hard for you. Just do what you want to do because that is what you eventually do in the end isn't it Dimitri? You say you will never leave them and then off you go to another woman. You don't think about anyone else just do what you want. Don't think about the rest of us who are still trying to pick up the mess that you have caused or are trying to get our heads around the situation with the baby. No, of course, you do what you have to do because in the end you do it anyway. Don't believe anything you don't want to believe Dimitri. Believe that I have slept around because that would make it easier on you, wouldn't it? It would let you leave all of the responsibility down to me and you could go back to your human life, protecting your girlfriend until you decide you get bored of her too." I spit it all out; happy to be able to direct my anger to someone who deserved it. My breathing had hitched and I knew that I still must have had spirit still in me. Everyone was looking at each other, trying to decide how to handle me and what to do about Dimitri and Tasha. I didn't care what happened to them as long as they stopped causing me so much trouble.

I took some calming breaths, trying to separate myself from the outer world. I worked well, something in my inner core wanted me to be with them and so I let my brain take me to where I needed to go. I wasn't scared. I had never been here but I wasn't scared of the place inside of me. It was a different calling to the one of spirit. With spirit it was willing you to cross over but with this sense it was making you calmer with every decreased distance between me and the place my body wanted me to go to. After a few seconds I was finally able to see the landscape. It was truly breathtaking; it was a large green area that went on for miles. The grass was freshly mowed and the fragrance of the cut grass still lingered; it reminded me of the times when we were on the run and the gardeners were tidying up the schools. We never smelt it when we were at the Academy as they used to do all those chores when we were asleep. I missed the smell; it made me remember that the world was so full of life. I guzzled the smell into my lungs, willing to remember what this felt like. After I got over the smell I notice that it wasn't just open land; there was a giant fountain 20meteres away and a block of TVs in the corner. The televisions seem to be on and so I walk over to try and find out what is being played. I realise as I get closer to the screens that they all seem to be my memories, 5 different screens each playing a happy memory before moving onto the next. As I look at the screens I remember more of the memories that have somehow disintegrated in my immediate memories. Most are with Lissa but some are with Mason and Eddie. I loved how carefree it all seemed to be at the time. I broke my gaze away from the screens to then look at the fountain. It was one of the biggest I fountains I had ever seen; the water shot out of various places in the water but the central piece was cupid, dressed up in his famous attire and his bow lined up in the arrow, water hooting out the tip of the arrow. It was a simple piece but brought so much elegance. It was truly beautiful and my imagination and core could not have thought up a better place for me if they had tried.

It took me a few more moments to realise that there was in fact a girl sitting at the edge of the fountain, waiting patiently for me to notice her. I knew who she was instantly; everything about her screamed familiarity. Her features were ones that I saw everyday or every night in my dreams. Her eyes bore into mine and with a gasp I knew for sure who she was. She was our-mine and Dimitri's- daughter. I honestly don't know how in my tummy she is 3months old but where I am now she is roughly ten years old. I guess it is similar with when Adrian dream walks, he can change the setting and what you are wearing so it is only appropriate that she can change her age. Although it really does show how advanced and special she is as a vampire because it has never been done before, of what we know in the records. She was how I had imagined her but if even possible even more beautiful. She had the same eyes as Dimitri; the eyes that were so brown that they were nearly black. They were irrespirable to look at and if it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to look at every other part of her I probably could and would have stared into them all day. Her melted chocolate waves reached down to the middle of her back and I was glad to find she loved her hair just as much as I did. As I took steps closer towards her I noticed that her hair wasn't as dark as I previously thought, it was lighter that Dimitris' but darker than mine. She had Dimitri's cheek bones but the rest of her face was similar to mine; she had the same nose, and her features were a lot softer than Dimitri's. Her skin tone very much came from Turkey and I was happy to know that she looked just as much like me as she did of Dimitri. I felt selfish knowing what my child looks like when I have only known for 4days that she was in my belly and others wait 9months until they get to see their little one. I wasn't even going to admit to feeling guilty because all I could think about was the fact that my little girl was standing right in front of me. I knew she was my little girl. I don't know how but you could call it a mother's instinct. I knew that she was my little girl and as soon as I got out of my trance my arms opened up, gesturing her to come up to me. Her little legs plopped down from her seat on the fountains edge and run as fast as she could over to me. Patience was never a strong point and I couldn't even wait for her to finish running to me. I started running and met her half way picking her up and squeezing her to my chest. My little girl was in my arms and there was nowhere else I would have preferred her to be.

"Hello baby." I coo, gently kissing her forehead.

"Mummy!" She screams excitedly. I wasn't even bothered that she had screamed right in my ear, all I could focus on was the fact that my little girl was here in my arms.

"Oh my God; you are just so gorgeous. I cannot wait for you to be born, so I can watch you every day. I will get to see you grow up and become even more beautiful with every second that passes." I whispered, thriving on the happiness that comes with stroking your child's hair. I would never admit it to anyone else but the protective need to comfort her against anything was very powerful and I completely understood why parents would do practically anything for their child. I loved her with every fibre of my body. There was no doubt that I wouldn't fight for her against anything that would stand in her way. She was my little girl and shit would hit an extremely fucked up fan if anyone even tried to touch a hair on her head. I was like an overbearing mummy bird; ready to peck an eye if they came to close to my little egg. I wasn't scared of the feeling; it was actually refreshing to feel this kind of protection towards someone. I thought that I cared for Dimitri and Lissa but the feeling that I feel towards my little girl makes my love for them look like a puddle against the ocean.

"Your world is getting darker mummy." She whimpers and points to the landscape around us. I don't bother looking around us; I can't take my eyes off of her face, it is just weird to think that she is with me here.

"What are you talking about sweetheart?" I ask, softly stroking her hair in comfort.

"The shadows; they keep on growing." She points again to an area and I finally look up to see what she is talking about. There were clouds and shadows dominating the air above our heads. They were almost pure black but you could still see through them if you squinted hard. I was so focused on the landscape and my little girl that I didn't bother to look up at the sky or at anything else really. What a great guardian I was; I couldn't even notice the change in the weather. The weather did amaze me though; how even in the inner part of my soul there were still bad bits around. I took a deep breath and tried to figure out how I could direct them away. I had to do this logically because if I tried something and it went wrong then I wouldn't only be damaging me but my little girl who is part of me.

"I see them honey. Do you know how to get rid of them though? The clouds and the shadows." I ask gently, crouching down in front of her so I could see her irresistible eyes. She nods her head vigorously.

"You have to imagine the sun and then the shadows disappear." She tell me, dazzling me with her gorgeous smile. I kiss her forehead again before closing my eyes and trying to imagine the sun when it is at its fullest. I imagine that the sun beams down onto my back and it making all the shadows fall in on themselves. I open my eyes and I can see the last of the shadows disappearing with a poof. I look around to still see the clouds and I wonder how I can get rid of them.

"But mummy, what about the clouds?" My little girl asks and I can't help but frown at the question. I have only been with my baby for 5 minutes and I already can't protect her from the unknown.

"I don't know sweetheart, but there aren't many of them and I will try my very hardest to figure out how to get rid of them, okay?" I tell her trying to convince her that she will be okay. She nods her head to tell me that she is alright and that she trusts me. I hug her to my chest, not wanting to ever leave this place or her.

"Mummy, you need to stay strong. Daddy doesn't meant what he says he just asks questions because he doesn't understand, you ask questions why isn't he aloud to? Don't blame him for this and don't blame your friends; just stick together and trust each other. I don't know a lot but I do know that this journey is going to be hard and the only way we will survive is if you trust Daddy and the others. Don't be afraid to ask for help and come see me anytime because I love seeing my mummy." She looks so serious and I know that her words ring truth. My little girl knows me more than most and I pull her into another bone crushing hug. I can't seem to help the need to always have her close to me, always touching. There was a light around her when she spoke to me- it was a bright light that commanded you to listen and be in awe of her. I didn't need the light to be in awe but I couldn't describe how proud I am of her at this minute.

"You will figure it out mummy, you always do." She kisses my cheek and I kiss hers back. I can feel myself leaving this little place; my body is retreating, going back the way it came.

"I love you baby." I tell her and I can just hear her say that words back before my eyes are opening and I am back in the world. I blink once and I try to collect my memoires of where I was before I retreated back into myself. I remember that we are in Christians lounge with all of my friends, Dimitri and Tasha. My eyes finally came into focus and I notice that I am staring at a set of jade green eyes.

"You're back Rose. How are you? Are you okay? God you scared the life out of me." She flung her arms around me and pulled me to her.

"I'm fine Liss, calm down. How long have I been like that for?" I ask trying to get Lissa off of me.

"An hour, we were actually starting to get worried. What even happened?" Eddie asks looking concerned. I didn't want to tell them about what had just happened. I knew that my little girl just told me to trust them all but she was mine and for the moment I wanted to keep her all to myself. I always felt like I had to give everyone my whole life story and I didn't want to have to do that with her too.

"Nothing really; I just had a little visitor, that's it." I grin at the memory, blocking everyone else out in the room. I wanted to remember how it felt to be with her, how she smelt and how she felt in my arms. I wanted her to be just my little secret for as long as I could.

"What the hell are you on about Rose?" Christian asks visibly annoyed.

"Don't worry." I tell them all trying not to make them annoyed but make them back off.

"Roza." Dimitri growls and I whirl on him.

"What?" I shout. "What the fuck is your problem, do I have to tell you guys every damn thing about my life?" I ask frustrated.

"No, you don't have to tell us everything. We don't want to know everything that goes through your mind." Lissa starts gently but Christian snorts at the comment.

"Yeah I think half of your thoughts should be rated 18." He snorts and a glare from both Lissa and I shuts him up.

"But," Lissa continues, "When you have a blank look on your face and we can't get through to you for over an hour we want to know. Hell I think anyone would want to know." I can feel some of my frustration leave and I know that she has just used compulsion. I see three sandwiches next to me on the sofa and I grab them before wolfing them down.

"Honestly guys, it really doesn't matter what happened. It was hardly important." I lie and hope that my lying skills have gotten better.

"We know you're lying; just tell us Rose." Lissa sighs clearly not happy that I'm not telling them what happened. Maybe I need to start getting lying lessons; it would defiantly make my life a lot easier.

"I thought you said there are no secrets between us now." Dimitri smirks and I scowl at him. Arg, what did I have to say that? I knew that would bite me eventually I just never counted it to be this soon.

"Honestly it doesn't matter. Just leave me alone, and drop it!" I walk away from them all and into the bathroom. I just wanted space and I couldn't stand having loads of people wanting answers when I didn't even know the answer myself.

"Leave her for a moment. Darkness is to close and we don't know what could happen if we make the darkness come forward." Adrian comments and I felt like kissing him. All I wanted was space and I didn't care what made me get it as long as I was left alone. I close the bathroom door and then lock it before sliding down and leaning on the door. A slight smile spreads onto my lips at the mere thought of my gorgeous girl, the little three month old child that was in my womb right now. I rub my belly to comfort her, imagining touching her for real life.

I don't even know why I kept my little girl a secret. I guess I felt like the amount of things they haven't told me or how many times I've had to find things out for myself I just wanted to have something that was my secret. Anything that has been an important to me and could be seen important to another person I have eventually told someone, they have always ended up wriggling the secret out of me. I wanted one that was just for my thoughts, or at least till I wanted someone to know. It felt good to finally be in control of a secret and be able to say no to them. It wasn't even like it would help out situation out by telling them. Telling them that I have talked to my baby while in the post peaceful place of my inner body would tell them how powerful she really is and it could make them even more worried about what could actually happen. I was protecting them and I felt like I was protecting her as well, in a small way. I did feel a little guilty though; knowing that she told me to be honest with Dimitri and trust him but honestly I just wanted space. Space to think about my little girl, space to think about what could happen in the next few years and space to think about Dimitri and Tasha being here. Everything was pilling on top of me and sometimes, like now, it just gets too much and I need time to just think about how I can handle a particular situation.

They would all find out eventually though anyway. They would all find out what she can do either when she pops out of when I am ready to tell them. I wasn't even thinking about keeping this a secret forever; just until I was ready to be able to comprehend it into words. But for now they didn't have to know about where I went and what happened; it was mine and my baby's secret. With that small revelation I decided to go for a run. I open the cabinet draw under the sink and take out my running clothes. I knew that one day I would need them and so placed them there just in case. I put on the black sports bra, loose Beatles t-shirt that hides my bump and some red short shorts. I am already wearing a pair of trainers and am glad that I was or I would have been running in whatever other shoes I own. I mainly wear trainers just because if I ever get in trouble with Strigoi I am wearing appropriate footwear to kick their dead butts.

I open the bathroom door abruptly telling myself not to be scared of my friends. They all look over to see if I am any better but I don't pay them any mind. "I'm going for a run." I announce like it isn't already obvious with what I am wearing.

"I will come with you." Dimitri tells me, getting off the couch and walking over to the hallway.

"Careful with what you say Belikov; if I hear that any funny business went on or you hurt her, you will wish she killed you when you were Strigoi." Eddie warns before turning to look at me. "Have a good run and if you need anything don't be afraid to just call me." I nod my head before making my way to Dimitri and walking out of the door. Neither of us bother saying anything. I just keep on running, pushing myself to go faster. We didn't need to talk; both of us pretty much knew what each other wanted and what they were thinking about. We both were thinking opposite things and we didn't want to talk about something we didn't want to. He wanted to talk about my mysterious experience and I wanted to talk about why he left me. Both awkward subjects that neither wanted to breech. I loved talking to Dimitri; when he spoke to me like an equal and wasn't telling me off I felt wonderful. Dimitri was such an amazing person that whenever I got his opinion on something I felt like it should be law most of the time. He talked to me like an equal and it always sounded like he was actually interested in what I had to say. He made me feel special and it was one of the many reasons why I love him.

I also loved him when he didn't talk. When he didn't talk it meant he was thinking. His face would look amazing and if I could draw I would draw it a thousand times. His eyes would always been in a far off land; like they were in another planet and only his shell was beside you. When he was thinking it was mainly when he looked most peaceful, he didn't care what was happening around him just whatever had troubled his mind enough to think about. I remember I used spend a lot of time on his mind, when he gave me those loving looks and promised that we would be together after school and not have to hide our relationship from anyone. I believed him back then; I never had a reason not to trust him. I wanted to feel like a Moroi for once; someone who got there fairytale ending without too much hassle, someone who got their true love for eternity. I always got told that loving someone was reckless but I never realised how hurtful it really was. It makes you take stupid risks and decisions hoping that you can be with them afterwards. I didn't matter though; whatever Dimitri said or did I would always love and cherish him. I would still save him over and over again because that was what you do when you love someone. Even if he doesn't love me anymore, just knowing that he is still in this world, alive, makes my feelings so much better. It hurts knowing that he doesn't reciprocate the feelings but he is still here in this world and that is a good enough reason for me to carry on saving him if I ever got the choice. So even if I am last season's clothes that now lie in the trash bin I was once his and I will always cling on to the memories of being with him.

I didn't even know where we were running to but I think Dimitri did; he was running a little way in front of me and he was going down paths like he was actually checking where we were going. I liked this run, I was trying to savour the time that I was able to run before people starting complaining because I was pregnant. He suddenly stopped in a secluded spot in the forest. It wasn't that far away from the boundary and it was harder to see into the area than it was too out. With my legs bent and my hands above my head I was trying to catch my breath back. I loved the feel of my body after going out for a run. Dimitri leans against a tall tree and pats down to the space next to him. My body slowly walks over to the space and I sit down, making sure to leave space in between.

"Roza," He sighs out my name trying to find a way to gather all of his thoughts and put them into a sentence.

"I know Dimitri; you regret having sex with me and if you had the chance to redo the day again you never would. Don't worry Comrade I understand and you can go back to Tasha and continue on with your life. I can look after Layla all by myself." I tell him confidently, hoping that he will still tell me that he is staying.

"Is that what you are going to name the child? Layla," He asks and I nod my head.

"Yep, it means born at night which is appropriate considering we are vampires and we spend most of our time awake at night." I explain the name that I had only chosen a little while ago after finally seeing my little girl.

"That is a really pretty name. Layla, Layla, Layla." He repeats the name over trying to get a feel for the name of his child. He shakes his head before focusing on me again. "You can't raise the baby all on your own though Roza. You are the strongest person I know but you wouldn't be able to cope with what is going to happen all on your own. What I have gathered from Adrian is that you need as many hands as you can gather, you need me and I am very happy to help. Also, I do not regret making love with you and I never will. Yes I wish things happened in a better way but I will never regret what happened between us. It is all part of life Roza, falling in love with someone; it is one of the best things that can happen during a lifetime and I very much enjoyed it. As far as I am concerned you are one of my best friends and as long as you want me here I will be here." Of course he was fine us being around each other; he had Tasha to go back to at the end of the night. I had no one. He always had Tasha to fall on even in the early stages of our relationship. And he always would have Tasha to fall back on if he one day decided that the baby really wasn't working out for him and he just wanted to run away and leave. I would have to pick up the pieces of not only my life but my baby's as well. "Roza, I swear on our baby's life that I will do anything to protect you and the baby. Forget about the last 3months and just trust me that I will be able to help you. I promise that I will always love and protect both of you till my final breath."

"Love." I muse. "What is it? Love. What is love? You can't see it, I certainly can't hear it; so what is it? It's weird isn't it? How everyone puts so much faith in that one word. They depend so much on the word that they don't even know when it comes to them. It gets used too much. You once said it, you said it a lot and I believed you. I always thought I was stronger. Stronger than words. But honestly I'm not. Words hold so much power. Power people don't have the right to possess. We do though and that's why so many awful things are happening in the world. I'm talking like Adrian. Do you think darkness possesses me?" I ask Dimitri, not really looking at him. He looks over at me with worry filling his eyes. "Craziness is worse than everyone thinks. You can never control what you do and you always get in trouble after what happens. Everyone that knows about spirit wants it. They don't though, not really. They don't want to have the effects of spirit. They don't want to deal with what I have to deal with. It stops Lissa from going mad though so I have to take the darkness away; I have to though, they always come first. They always come first. They always come first." I repeat the last sentence that has been drilled into my head since the first day that I attended St Vladimir.

"Roza snap out of this, it isn't you." I heard Dimitri say. I could feel him pick me up and place me in his lap. My head was resting on the crook of his neck and I could smell his cologne; the smell that managed to get me out of so many other spirit related disasters. I move my head away from his neck so I could meet his eyes. The worry that I saw in them was evident and it kills me that he still looks at me this way. I have spent the last 3days convincing myself that he doesn't feel anything for me and showing me that he still gets worried give me the smallest sense of hope. I don't want to have hope anymore; I just want to be able to move on. I remember the look he is giving me though; I have seen it so many times when he has been there when darkness has affected me. He probably has seen the majority of my darkness episodes and understands the way I react after them better than anyone else.

"It is part of me though Dimitri. You have to realise that it will always be part of me though. Oh my God, what happens if it affects my beautiful little girl? Oh my God what am I going to do? I am destroying my little girl's life as we speak." I clutch onto Dimitri's arm as tight as I could. Whenever I didn't understand something I used to go to Dimitri and ask what he thought of the situation and what I should do. Granted I never usually did what he said but it didn't stop me from asking.

"She will be fine Roza. The darkness won't affect her. You will both be fine through the pregnancy." He pulls me into a hug and he strokes my hair. I didn't know whether it is too soothe him or me but it works for me anyways. "How do you know the baby is a girl?" He asks after a couple of minutes.

"She's in my head. You know when I blanked out; well I managed to shut myself into my brain. It's beautiful in there. A lot of darkness but still very beautiful. She was there. I knew it was our little girl because she was a combination of the two of us. Dimitri she was so gorgeous; words don't even describe how amazing she really is. Exquisite and striking aren't even close to describing her. Well, she started talking to me. It was the most amazing thing to ever happen to me." My eyes glaze over just thinking about her. Dimitri doesn't say anything so I look over to him. He's watching me with awe. "What?" I ask self conscious.

"You've changed so much my Roza. I didn't even know you could get more stunning but yet you have. And the fierceness of loyalty to the baby you have hardly known about is just mind-blowing. You have grown so much in the last two months that I regret ever leaving you." His hand strokes my cheek and I lean into it. "Roza, trust in what you think is right because most of the time your instincts are right."

"Thank you." I whisper trying to keep the intensity of the emotions flowing through me at bay.  
><em>Put your hand on his head. <em>My little girl tolls me. I place my hand on Dimitri's head. "Trust me and don't try to fight it." I calmly instruct him before closing my eyes and reaching back to the insides of my core. My eyes flutter open and I am back to the place I had only left 2 hours before. Dimitri is staring over at my- our little girl. His eyes turn to meet mine, glancing to make sure that this is our little girl. All it takes is the slightest of nods from me and he starts running over to her. He meets her and wraps his massive frame around the fragile body of our 10 year old child. I see tears running down his face and I nearly fist pump at the fact that tough face Dimitri cried before I did. They eventually unwrap themselves from each other and before any of us understand what is happening Layla gets her miniature hand and strikes it across Dimitri's face. Dimitri and I just stand there frozen, neither of us knowing what the hell happened. The horror of Dimitri's face and the red mark on his cheek makes me burst out laughing, clutching at my stomach to try and stop myself.

"You thought I wasn't your daughter, mummy isn't like that. That wasn't nice what you thought of mummy." Layla explains shrugging her shoulders. Dimitri and I just look at each other before a grin spreads across Dimitri's face.

"Rose logic." He mutters shaking his head. Dimitri crouches down in front of Layla and looks into her eyes. "Моя прекрасная дочь I am so sorry but I just wasn't thinking straight. It was very surprising news and I came up with the wrong conclusion. I am so sorry and I wish I had never said it." She tilts her head to the side before wrapping her tiny arms around Dimitri again. I guess she is like me and can't stay mad at Dimitri for too long.

I walk to the edge of the fountain and give the two of them personal time. I knew how magical it was for me when I got to see her and didn't have to share her with anyone else. Dimitri might not say it but he wants things just as much as the next person but doesn't usually ask for it because he doesn't want to seem rude. I knew that he wanted time just the two of them and I am guessing by the message that Layla sent me she wanted the exact same thing.

I look up and see some more shadows starting to form. I close my eyes and do what I did earlier; imagine the powerful sun making the shadows disappear. When I open my eyes I see that the shadows are gone but the clouds are still there. I think about how you usually get rid of clouds. I close my eyes, imagining a big gust of wind floating the clouds away. I felt the vigorous wind pass me and it sent a shivers through my body. I opened my eyes praying that they weren't there anymore. They were; the clouds were still there looking like the winds hadn't ruffled their feather at all. I closed my eyes again, imagining more forcefully that rain was pouring out of them, making them disappear. I could feel the rain drops assaulting my skin and I prayed that the clouds would disappear. I opened them for a second time and the clouds were still there, not even a little bit lighter. I scrunch up my face in confusion trying to figure out a way to make the clouds go away. I look over to Dimitri and Layla and let out a sigh of defeat.

"I don't know how to get rid of them." I admit to Layla.

"What are you even trying to do?" Dimitri asks, looking more confused than I was.

Mummy's happy place is filled with shadows and clouds. The shadows are from Auntie Lissa but I don't know what the clouds are from." She explains looking towards the clouds with as much concentration as I had.

"To get rid of shadows you have to bring out the sun. I guess that shadows are like being shadow kissed, taking the darkness away. We still haven't been able to figure out how you deal with the clouds or what they are." I explain even more just so he knows most of the information. I knew he wouldn't be able to figure out the answer but it was just easier to avoid confrontation by telling him everything. Our daughters' head suddenly snaps up and she looks at the both of us with a sad expression.

"You both need to leave now; people are coming and it will look too suspicious you both just sitting there." She tells us both. We both hug her before exiting the same way as I did last time. When I open my eyes I see that we are back sitting down by the trees in the forest. I pull my hand away from where it was resting on his face and lay flat on my tummy so the guardians that are patrolling thirty feet away from us can't see me.

"Wow." Dimitri says and I smile at him before getting up from my position on the ground.

"Yeah I know; I felt exactly the same way when I met her earlier. You really can't explain her." I smile and he just nods his head. I look over to where the guardians are and I see that they are starting to make their way towards us.

"Come on Comrade. I bet I can beat your old butt back to the house, just like old times." I grin and before he could say anything I was sprinting back to the house. I hear his footsteps behind me and I try to sprint faster but I knew he was catching up fast. He had longer legs and I was not carrying more than just my weight. I slip through a couple of trees and I know that he is following the same trail as I am. I duck behind a tree hoping he hasn't caught the movement and wait for him to come past me. I can hear his footsteps come closer and as I was just about to jump on top of him his arms around wrapped around my middle, trapping my arms.

"Were you going to try and cheat?" He asks clearly amused, I can't seem to think properly his breath his hot on my face and it makes me go lightheaded. A shiver of pleasure runs down my spine and I try to cover it up but I think Dimitri notices. Well if the grin that suddenly appeared had anything to do with it.

"No, why would I do that Comrade." I ask lightly, making sure he can see through the lie.

"I think you were going to cheat." He chuckles and I join in with him.

"I'm pregnant, have mercy on me o great one." I joke. We both just stare at each other; the joking mood now turning serious. I have missed looking into his eyes. The way that when they look into my eyes it looks like he is staring directly into my soul. His arms drop around to my waste and mine mind their way to around his neck. We both move in deeper, lips millimetres apart. All I was feeling was the love that I felt for Dimitri and finally getting the same kind of feelings back. And then I felt panic. I knew it wasn't my panic; I could feel it through the bond. I jerked backwards and before I was thinking I was running towards the direction of the apartment I shared with her.

* * *

><p><strong>Моя прекраснаядочь- My beautiful daughter.<strong>

**A/N: Over 10,000 words for all of my little lovelies. Thank you for reading and please please review. I am now shattered after writing so much of this and still trying to keep it to the first one. I finally named the baby Layla which was a hard choice between Layla and Aida but decided I would you with Layla as Aida sounded too much like Adrian and I would probably get confused. **

**Some of you might be hating me because I removed the kiss but honestly I was looking back at it and thinking it was too soon and so I had to just remove it. Also did no one like chapter 2 re-edited because I got no reviews and it left me worried. ONE FINAL NOTE: If anyone is interested beat-ing me please pm as I think I need one just to help lay it out better and give me fresh ideas. If you think this is you and you will be interested please review! Thanks for reading,**

**-Dreamworldstorymaker :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four 

"Where are you going?" Dimitri asks trying to keep up with me. I was running; running faster than I have ever before. I could feel that she needed me and I was not going to disappoint her and not be there. Dimitri couldn't even catch up with me. I was sprinting like I was running for my life, I was finally thankful of the trainings that were just about running. If it wasn't for the fact that Lissa was scared shitless which made me scared shitless I would probably be proud at the fact I was beating him.

"Lissa." I choke out before focusing all of my attention on reaching to her. The house is finally in reaching distance and I push myself even more to get to her. I rip open the door and my feet pound up the staircase and fly into the room that I can feel Lissa is in. I open her bedroom door a lot gentler, as I didn't want to have to but two new doors, the sight of her made my chest ache and all the blood in my body pound in my ears. Lissa was sitting on Christian's lap, head buried into his chest. Christian was sitting on the sofa and I couldn't understand why they were there when I had never seen it been used before. I catch Christian's eye and they shift over to the bed, telling me that is where the problem is. My eyes dart over to the bed and I am so glad that I wasn't at the morning sickness stage in my pregnancy or else I would have been no help in this situation. My heart beat picked up and my skin lost its entire colour; I was appalled at what was lying on the bed. I don't understand how this can have happened. I was here protecting her; how can this happen right under my nose? I thought we had seen the last of him 5 months ago; I thought he realised that he was lucky I was preoccupied or else I would have killed him myself, Moroi or no Moroi. I thought he was going to leave us alone and just live a peaceful like with his brother and the world would never here of him again, he would have just been a bed night story that made you go bump in the night. Obviously I was completely wrong on him wanting to live a quiet life. Nope, he clearly wanted to die in a slow painful way knowing that all of the pain inflicted on him had been designed by my hands. I know if my eyes ever set on his again that he wouldn't survive; he would be murdered in cold blood after what he has done. No one will ever get away with what he has done to Lissa.

"What the fuck happened?" I ask Christian tightly trying not to let all of my anger show.

"I don't know." He answers weakly, clearly at a loss.

"How the fuck do you not know why there is a dead animal in the middle of your bed?" I shout at him trying to stop my body from shaking with sheer anger. Lissa flinches at my words and I try to calm myself. "I'm sorry Lissa; I didn't mean it like that. Sweetie we will find Victor and when we do I promise I will rip him limb from limb for what he has done to you. By the time I am done with him he will be begging for death." I promise in a voice that sounds much colder than what it normally is.

My feet move closer towards the dead animal that is on the bed. As I get closer to the animal I see that it is a mangled cat lying in a pool of its own blood. You could hardly see the tortoiseshell colouring markings over its fur; all you could see was the crimson blood that had seeped out from multiple wounds that were made into its body. The eyes had been pulled out of their sockets and were not anywhere to be seen. The head lay at a wrong angle to the rest of its body and I only hope that the cat got killed by the twisting of the next first before having to endure all of the horrific things that were put upon its body. The slits were positioned at the main parts of the cats' body; three on the tip of its head, a deep slash across its neck, his tail was only hanging on by a thread, the stomach had been cut and then a slit in the heart. As I look closer at each wound I see something sticking out at the heart slit; the object didn't look at all like a body part and so I try to stop myself from retching and make my hand reach out and grab the bloody object. As my fingers connect with the object I realise with a stab of pain in my heart that it is a piece of paper. Someone had purposely placed the dead animal on Lissa and Christian's bed and then left a note inside said animal. I suppress my shudder and try to open the painfully stick paper that is covered in clotted blood. I unfold the note and read it inside my head:

An eye for an eye,

A tooth for a tooth,

A life for a life!

It is yours that I want Lissa.

I need your spirit to survive.

Don't try to trick me,

I have spies watching your every move.

You think you are safe,

But people you trust are my allies.

Watch out always,

Or else you might be seeing me sooner than you think.

Uncle Victor.

"That fucking dickhead." I shout shoving the note into Dimitri's hands.

"Rose calm down. It is going to be okay." Dimitri tried to soothe me by rubbing his hands down my shoulders but I wriggle out of his grasp. I can't be touched at this moment in time; my anger levels are too high and I don't know what I would do to them if they touched me now. All my thoughts are going through ways on how to kill Victor; stabbing him in various places like he did with the cat, hanging him, shooting bullet at him, chopping up parts of his body, burning him. They all seemed like good ideas.

"No I will not fucking calm down! That slimy old man is threatening my best friend, my charge- my fucking sister and he think he can get away with it? Well no fucking way Mister." I fume, passing back and forth. "That man will have it coming to him. He deserves to die; I don't even care what happens to me as long as he ends up 6feet under rotting in hell. After everything he has done to not only Lissa but to us as well he has to pay. I let him out from prison and I will be the one to make sure that he is kept under control. I will only be okay when I have my hands around his neck and am ringing the life out of him." I knew what I was saying wasn't being said because of the effects of spirit; the darkness never came this quick especially after how many darkness attacks I have had recently. No what I was saying was purely coming from the hatred and rage I felt about Victor Dashkov.

"Rose I am going to be safe; with you as my guardian he won't be able to get to me. I also have Eddie and Dimitri; you are like the three best guardians around, he can't touch me." Lissa sniffles and I walk over to the sofa.

"Damn straight he won't get near you!" I wrap my arms around her and hold onto her shaking body. With her quivering body pressed up against mine all I can think about is that if anyone is going to stop Victor from carrying on with his evil, suicidal mission it will be me. The results of what could happen to me really aren't as important as my need to kill him. I could go to prison and I will still be jumping over the fact that I managed to kill the slime ball.

"So how did the animal get in here?" Dimitri asks calmly assessing the situation.

"Well we aren't sure. We all split up after you guys decided to go for a run. Lissa and I decided we needed to visit the feeders, Tasha left to go visit someone and Eddie and Mia went back to their apartment. We then went for a little stroll around the park nearby before coming back to the house. When we got back the house Lissa went up stairs to get a DVD and after 3minutes of her not coming down I went to check on her. I found her lying down next to the bed sobbing; I saw the cat and just tried to comfort her until someone got here and was able to help." Christian informs us trying to give us as much information but without Lissa having to listen to all the gory details again.

"Are there any cameras around the building or inside so we can check to see who came into the house?" Dimitri asks trying to come up with ways on identifying the ways in which that person came in.

"Isn't it obvious who came in though? I mean the note right there tells you." Christian asks confused.

"No, Victor wouldn't be strong enough to be able to get inside the building; he also wouldn't be dumb enough as he knows that everyone is out there looking for him. I think that he has got a helper at court who is going to be helping him make our lives a misery." I explain to Christian and he nods his head in understanding.

"There aren't any cameras around the house. We thought that Victor was gone and no one else had enough reason to try and sabotage Lissa. With Rose or Eddie always being here we didn't need cameras to help keep us safe and to be honest they wouldn't have helped any other situation apart from this one. Everyone knows that Lissa lives in this house, and everyone knows that wherever Lissa is Rose isn't too far away; no one even wanted to try messing with Rose if she thought for a moment that someone was messing with Lissas house or her." Christian explains to Dimitri answering his earlier question. "No guy wants to get there arse handed to them by a midget, and no girl wants to face the wrath of Rosie posie." He smirks at me and I smile back knowing that is the biggest compliment I am going to get from him.

"Okay, so we have no lead suspects or cameras to tell us who got into the house. All we have is this note and we have to try and figure it out." Dimitri concludes.

"Plus, we also have to figure out what is so special about Rose's baby and what we need to do to make the species better." Christian adds with a grim expression.

"Easy," I sigh sarcastically. All three of them mummer their agreements and we all fall into silence. Christian, Lissa and I are all on the sofa, while Dimitri tries to clean up the mess that Victors little minion did on the bed. I was going to help but the sight of the gruesome death made my tummy upset. So I sat around just thinking while Christian tried to comfort Lissa.

Sometime later I was in my room, lazing around. It had been a busy three days and it was starting to affect my pregnant body; I was lying down on top of my bed just resting my eyes. A knock on the door causes my eyes to open and I let out a groggy come in. The door opens slowly and Dimitri pears in.

"Oh-it's you. Is dinner ready?" I ask because that is the only reason that he would be in my room now.

"Urm, no; I wanted to talk to you. If that is alright." He seems a little nervous and so I nod my head and he closes the door behind me.

"Sure, sit down." I move myself into a sitting position and lean against the wall. He sits on the furthest point at my bed and I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad about it.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I ask trying to keep the awkwardness out of the air. I can't believe that there would ever be an awkward atmosphere between the two of us; whenever we were together we would be able to have fun and never get into an awkward conversation. Now it's like we have to think about everything we say because it could come across different to how we want our relationship to be. Hell I don't even know what we class ourselves anymore, because I couldn't even class him as an ex because as much as it seemed we were going out we never had a title. The most touchy he has ever been with me was when he was a Strigoi and I try to forget those memories.

"I wanted to talk about the almost kiss earlier." He starts cautiously. Ah, I hoped we could have forgotten about that.

"Nothing to talk about Comrade, we both got caught up in the moment and we can forget about it. Don't worry about me telling Tasha because I won't. I don't want to mess up your relationship; I don't want to be the ex that you always hate to be around because they are always trying to break you up. Not like I consider you my ex." Lies." But yeah, don't worry about it Dimitri; my lips are sealed from both kissing and talking about what nearly happened. I will just forget it ever happened, see there, gone, poof. Now I don't even know what we are talking about." I ramble. I never ramble. When I ramble it's because I try to pretend everything is okay when it really isn't. Somehow I think it makes me become for comfortable in the situation because I am the one that does all the talking but it usually makes me nervous because I know why I ramble and also because what comes out of my mouth usually lands me in a lot of shit.

"Tasha and I aren't together anymore." Dimitri states looking into my eyes.

"Why?" I ask thoroughly confused at why they aren't together. The whole point of him leaving was so he could have a little family with Tasha.

"It just didn't work out." It was all the explanation I was getting and it made me angry. He left for three months so he could have a family with her and they couldn't even last 3 months? I had spent so much time hurt because of his decisions that he picked Tasha instead of me and it didn't even last 3 months.

"You didn't break up because of me did you?" I ask not wanting to hear the answer but having to.

"Roza," He looks pained and I know that they answer is yes. I don't even know what I feel form that answer; angry, relieved, happy, guilty, loved, hatred, pained. There were so many emotions that wash through me with him just saying my name. I would hate to be Tasha; she finally thought she had Dimitri and then it turns out he doesn't want to be with her and is having a child with his ex-...lover? Is lover even the right word for us? I don't know what to class us and that has been passing through my mind for the last couple of days. A slight part of me felt victorious though that even when I wasn't trying I still had more of a reign over Dimitri than she ever will. This then made me feel incredibly guilty over the fact that I was jumping with joys over the fact that she will never have Dimitri, and then guilt for treating Dimitri like a used object. I couldn't say that I was sorry to him for being the reason that they broke up. I was ecstatic that I didn't have to worry about that relationship but a little nervous because my body was instantly reacting to being told that neither of us had any ties to anyone and could do what we liked. Of course what I had gone through over the last three months came into my head and my body fell like a dead body; I didn't want to have the same pain as I did when he left before. I couldn't deal with him leaving again when my feelings for him are so strong and I had a baby to look after.

"Was that all you wanted to talk about?" I ask not unkindly.

"No, I also wanted to discuss things about the baby." This got my complete attention.

"What about her?" I ask staring at him, trying to find any features of him that could tip me off whether it was going to be a good topic of conversation or not.

"I was just wondering what you wanted to happen with Layla. I know I haven't been the nicest person to you recently- and I will understand if you don't want me to go near her but I would just like to know what you want and expect from me when it comes down to Layla. Just to be sure though, no matter what you tell me my involvement with her is going to be, I will always be there to protect her no matter what." Dimitri doesn't lie, or at least he never used to lie. I stared at him, still trying to find anything that would give him away that he was lying. But no such luck, he was being as truthfully as he ever was and it was down to me on whether I hurt myself or if I hurt my daughter. I guess as soon as you put it into those words it's a pretty east decision; I would never intentionally hurt Layla's feelings and the fact that she told me to forgive Dimitri made the decision a painful one, but the right one.

"I would like you to be there for her. I know what it is like to be left without a dad, always wondering who he is and what he is like. I know that Abe isn't in the best line of work but he would do anything for me and it was a shame that I couldn't know who he was in my childhood. I know you are nothing like Abe but Layla would feel exactly the same way as I did and I don't want that for her; I had the knowledge that both my parents weren't there for me when really they were. I am not going to do that to our little girl. So you are going to have to promise on the world that you will be there for her or else there will be major problems and you better hope that you are stronger that me because I will be chasing you like a wild mother bear." I warn in a friendly way but the words ring truth.

"Aye, aye Captain." He winks, giving me a mock solute.

"Also, I was wondering what we know so far about what significance Layla is going to be for the Morois' and Dhampirs'." Dimitri asks.

"Nothing really; all we have got so far is that she is special." I tell him sounding deflated over the fact we have no knowledge.

"This was on the kitchen counter, when I went to put the cat outside I decided to put the rest of the rubbish in the bin with it, I found it just lying there. It's addressed to you." He pulls out an envelope from his back jean pocket and hands it over to me; out hands making sure not to touch the other. I touch the papers edges, barely skimming the piece but tracing over the letter of my full name.

_Rosemarie Hathaway _

My name is written in blood red ink and I know that whoever did this has used the cat's blood. The script of my name was written in any handwriting that I know; that of course meant nothing considering I don't pay attention to peoples handwriting skills but to lots of other important things. I tried to stop my hands from shaking and rip the letter's seal open. I pull on the piece of parchment to tug it out of the envelope and unfold it so I can read all of it.

I know the secret,

Watch out baby Rose.

Not signature. No real message but a threat. A threat to my fucking baby. And I thought I was mad when they threatened Lissa; I am beyond enraged. Livid, fuming, infuriated, mad, incensed, angry, furious, none of the words were even near to how I was feeling now. The threat letter was scrunched up in the fist that my hand had created. I'm not even sure when my fist moved to this position but I couldn't unravel my hand. It was in a secure position and even though I knew it was in that position and was trying to get it back into the normal uncurled position I just couldn't. I try the breathing exercise to help me calm down about the letter and I can feel strength trying to unclasp my hands. I look down to see Dimitri's big hands covering my own; I finally understand what is happening and un-tense my hand. Dimitri then pulls the parchment out of parchment out of my hands and reads it. It doesn't even take a second for Dimitri's face to run in competition to how it looked when he was Strigoi.

"трах, трах, трах. Когда я получу на руки этих ублюдков, они будут платить. Ебля хуй главы думаю, что они могут коснуться моей маленькой девочки и все сойдет с рук? Ебать нет." I know the sentence couldn't have been good because Dimitri only ever talks in Russian when he is with his family or when he is incredibly annoyed. His voice was deadly and I know that if I hadn't of heard the voice before I would have been terrified. His voice would have even made a Strigoi scared.

"Calm down Dimitri; it's okay. Layla has got both of us looking after her; no one will ever be able to go near her that we don't think is good for her." I reassure him, just trying to keep his anger at bay. As much as Dimitri knows about keeping me calm and keeping the darkness away from me, I know how to keep him calm and not get so angry; although it doesn't come into effect as much as mine does. I realise that the envelope is still in my other hand and there is something bulky inside of it; I know it is going to be unpleasant but being a guardian you have to put up with appalling things that you wish you had never seen or heard. I try to stop my hand from shaking as it dips inside the small packaging; there are two separate objects but both have a moist texture in a circular shape. I know exactly what they are before my hand even pulls them all the way out and I can see the cats pair of eyes that had not been with the rest of its body. The cat's eyes were a beauty of different colours; the rims were a meadow of sunflower yellow, nestled against a dark forest green and olive green; the cat eyes showed that it really did belong in the wild, surrounded by trees and bushes. The eyes were lifeless. I guess you would expect that considered they had been yanked away from its body over 3 hours ago but to know that there really was no way back for the little creature was sad.

"I'm going to put these with the rest of the body." I inform Dimitri before standing there for a couple of seconds then finally nodding my head and walking out of the back door. I walk down the garden steps and look to find where Dimitri burned the rest of the cats' body. I put my hands in my pockets and in one I find a plastic bag; I don't even remember why there would be a plastic bag in there considering I never need to use them but oh well. I place the bag back into my pocket and bend down to the remains of the fire. There were still a little bit of heat in the lower levels of the ash and residue of the fire. In a quick thinking moment I collect all of the ash I can get a put it into the plastic bag, tying a knot at the ends of the bag so none can escape. I guess I felt like we were treating the cat like an old pet; when human's dogs or cats die they usually get there body turned into ashes and scatter them around their favourite place. I wanted to do that for this cat; I don't even know why considering animals hated Dhampirs and it would probably try to scratch me if I went near it. That didn't really matter because it would never be able to scratch anyone ever again, or purr when it was happy; nope, none of that would ever be in its life anymore because its life finished hours ago. I want the cat to feel that even though it died too early and it never had an owner someone was still sad about their death and wish it had never happened; not like the cat would care would I thought considering it was dead but I want to feel a little better over the fact that it died for the cause of freaking Lissa out and making me one angry mess. I pick up the plastic bag and walk towards the forest, not bothering to tell Dimitri, Lissa and Christian where I am. I feel personally responsible for the cat's death and I don't want anyone to know how bad I feel that it died.

I walk in the opposite direction to where it leads to the main part of courts. Lissas house is a street down from the forest and I walk into it guessing that with a wild animal that would be its favourite place. I walk past trees and try to head in a southern direction, leading me nearer to the boundary and hopefully closer to solitude. I trudge through the mass of woods until I know that I am far away; the birds are singing, the rustling of the leaves on the ground indicate that the small animals are also near. I bring out the plastic bag from where it was stashed in my pocket and start scattering it into the forest- just another secret that is lost to the wind. I always take a handful and let it scatter around the area that is full of peace. Every handful that I scatter, the more peace there seems to be around the area. Once I finish emptying the plastic bag, that had the remains of the cat, I place the eyes on a fallen green leaf and sit down leaning against a tree. Before my eyes the cats ashes swirl together and the eyes come zooming over to the ash cat. I rub my eyes thinking it must be a trick but it's not; the cats ashes have all formed together to make up what the cat used to look like. The cat looks over to me, bows his head in a thank you and runs off with the wind. I sit there, looking at where the cat disappeared off to, not believing what I have just seen. Leaves crunching make me realise someone is coming and so I get off of the ground at take up a defensive position; I realise how stupid it was of me to be out here alone when I have enemies who know my secret and how to defeat me. There are lots of crunching leaves and I stiffen up more because multiple people are here. A woman and two men flanking her come out of the bush and walk towards me. They are all wearing basic clothes, the woman is wearing a charcoal grey linen dress that reaches to mid way down her thigh, and both men are wearing khaki shorts and a basic top. None of them had shoes and I wonder how bad their feet were if mine got blisters just from fighting. The woman's hair is golden and stops at her bottom, her features had a cat like quality. The man on her left was a larger than average build, but his muscles where easily seen through the thin material of his top; his hair was jet black and had very masculine features. The man on her right was a large man, extremely tall and had the largest muscles I have ever seen; his hair was russet brown and had a five o'clock shadow.

"We are not here to harm." The woman states holding up here hands as a sign of peace.

"That's what everyone says before they try to kill you." I tell her calmly, trying to size up them all and see how it is easiest to take them all done.

"Well we mean it." She makes her words sound soft to try and convince me. "My name is Sasha and this is Benjamin and Taylor." Sasha indicates to the men that are positioned behind her; Benjamin was on her left and Taylor was on her right.

"Oh well now I know your names I must trust you. My name is Annie Position, and I have completely harmless." I snort out sarcastically hiding how nervous I actually am that it is three against one and I am pregnant. They all look like they can fight and that does not help my current position anymore.

"Oh that's a good one- so going to be using that one later. Annie Position, what a laugh." The man called Taylor chuckles.

"Shut it idiot." Ben scolds and smacks Taylors arm. I look at the interaction but then place my gaze back to Sasha as I can tell she is the leader of the three of them.

"We know your name is actually Rose Hathaway and I would actually like to talk to you properly without all the sarcastic shit." Sasha demands and I raise both of my eyebrows. Wow this bitch has balls.

"Well I'm afraid to tell you that this is the way I talk. Aren't going to kick this out of me no matter what." I smirk at her and she glowers.

"We aren't going to hurt you." Benjamin tells me when he sees that Sasha isn't going to talk.

"And how the fuck do I know that?" I ask him flicking my eyes between all three of them.

"Because if we wanted to you would already be dead." Taylor pitches in and I know that much is true.

"Okay, fine; what is it you want to talk about then?" I ask.

"We would like to offer our help." Sasha answers simply. What is this bitch on? Why would she even think that I would need her help. Ha! I don't need their help.

"Why would I even need your help?" I ask almost to humour them.

"You might think that for the moment you life is easy but when the time comes and your enemies come knocking you will be needing our help." I can tell she is speaking the truth; hell I already knew that I would be needing others help but I didn't want to think about it.

"What help will three people even make?" I ask sceptically looking at the three of them.

"Darling, you only need the three of us to kick ass but there are more of us." Taylor winks at me and I just roll my eyes.

"How many?" I ask Sasha, wanting to focus solely on facts.

"12, we are expecting another one soon." She tells me seriously.

"Actually we are expecting two more; Anna was telling me earlier about her youngest." Benjamin pitches in and Sasha nods.

"Sorry, 14 in a month."

"Why would you want to help me?" I ask, this pretty much being why I was so confused. Why would strangers willingly help me when I haven't been particularly nice to them?

"Easy; you helped one of ours, we help you." Sasha explains and the other two nod.

"Who did I help?"

"Andrew- the little cat that you spread the ashes earlier. Some of the little ones have been killed often and everyone puts them in the bin. You didn't and so we respect you. By letting him rest here he will be able to go into his new life and be a new animal. Many of us don't get the chance." Benjamin explains when Sasha looks like she is about to cry.

"So what are you? Come on, I know you aren't human; none of you look like Dhampirs, Morois or Strigoi and so what are you?" I ask my insides getting excited about a new supernatural species.

"Shape shifters." Sasha announces and my jaw drops halfway to the ground.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So this is a little shorter than chapter 2&3 mainly because I want to try and update frequently. I hope you like the little cliff hanger and just comment on what you liked and disliked. Please review because it inspires me and I get new ideas from it. **

**-Dreamworldstorymaker :D**


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